Freedom Tower A Backdrop To U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s Presidential Candidacy Announcement
Miami Dade College’s Freedom Tower provided a backdrop to Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s April 13 announcement that he is running for President, making him the third official Republican Party candidate for 2016.
“I have heard some suggest that I should step aside and wait my turn. But I cannot,” Rubio told a room full of supporters in the building’s first floor grand ballroom. “Because I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake, and I can make a difference as president.”
Rubio told the Miami Herald earlier in the week that the Freedom Tower holds significant personal value to generations of Cuban Americans. To Rubio the building is symbolic of the promise of America because, as he put it, 50 years ago, tens of thousands of people came here after losing their country and began their new life.
The Freedom Tower is a famed Miami building completed in 1925, initially home to two major newspapers in Miami, the Miami News & Metropolis. Later, the Tower would become one of the main centers for political refugees fleeing Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba. From 1962-74, the tower served as the first stop for Cuban exiles arriving in Miami. It housed basic medical care, relief aid, and in-processing services for the newly arrived Cubans in order to help them begin their new lives in the United States.
Rubio told the Miami Herald during his time as a state lawmaker he helped MDC purchase the 11-story, Mediterranean-style building. A private developer turned the Tower over to the College in 2005. It now houses the Cuban American Museum and the MDC Museum of Art and Design.
At Rubio’s announcement, large crowds of mostly older supporters filled the ballroom, anxiously waiting for Rubio’s highly anticipated announcement.
“At the turn of the 19th century, a generation of Americans harnessed the power of the Industrial Age and transformed this country into the leading economy in the world. And the 20th century became the American Century,” Rubio said. “Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American Century.”
A Miami native, Rubio began his political career as West Miami City Commissioner in 1998. He quickly made his ascent into state politics, becoming majority leader in 2003 and speaker of the House in 2006. In 2009, Rubio was considered the underdog when he won a seat in the U.S Senate.
Rubio has campaigned for conservative reform, calling out what he calls the Washington establishment and their big government vision for America. As a U.S Senator, Rubio has been a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
Being the youngest candidate in the 2016 campaign, Rubio is hoping to present himself as a next-generation Republican. His choice to announce his Presidential campaign at the Freedom Tower highlights his unique Hispanic background and quintessential Cuban-American story.
“I support Marco Rubio because he stands for something bigger than this election,” said Julian Marreno, a second-year business administration major at MDC. “He stands for the freedom of other people in this country.”
A crowd of supporters stood outside the Freedom Tower after Rubio’s twenty-minute-long announcement. There was also a crowd of protesters demanding answers to several of Rubio’s contested policies, including climate change and immigration.
“I am here to challenge Marco Rubio because he is calling for the immigrant vote but he wants to repeal key legislations for us immigrant students,” said MDC student, Diego Ramirez-Vargas.
