May 25, 2010

Jane Ramos uses flashcards to teach English to Cuban refugees at Fort Chaffee (Sebastian County) in 1980. More than 25,000 refugees were sent to Fort Chaffee from 1980 to 1982 after the Mariel boatlift, when Fidel Castro temporarily lifted restrictions that had prevented Cubans from leaving their homeland. The refugees became a major campaign issue in the 1980 election and contributed to the defeat of Governor Bill Clinton.