VOC Remembers Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart

The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation mourns the passing of Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart. A tireless public servant, a life-long anti-communist, and a leading voice for the captive nation of Cuba, Díaz-Balart leaves behind an enduring legacy that will be remembered for generations.   
 
“America has lost a giant in the fight for a Cuba free from the scourge of communism,” said Dr. Eric Patterson, VOC’s President and CEO. “Throughout his career, Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart was known for his compassion for those seeking a better life in the United States and his unwavering opposition to the Castro regime in Havana. He was also a true advocate for the oppressed. He will be missed by all of us at VOC.”   

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1954, into a family of politicians, Díaz-Balart’s father was a leading opposition voice to the then guerrilla fighter Fidel Castro and founded the first anti-Castro organization, La Rosa Blanca. Forced to flee as communism took over the island, Díaz-Balart would eventually move to the United States. Once settled in America, he received his law degree from Case Western University and began fighting for the oppressed in America and abroad.  
 
Díaz-Balart went on to serve Florida’s 21^st congressional district for 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. During that time, Díaz-Balart served on the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus and was an icon in the Cuban-American community. He was a strong supporter of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, which mandates that all political prisoners are set free, and that the regime hold open, multi-party elections before trade resumes.  
 
“As a fellow Cuban, Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart was a mentor and a true advocate for the voiceless of the captive nation that we once both called home,” remarked Yuri Perez, VOC’s Director of Latin American Studies. “While he was not born in the United States, Díaz-Balart worked tirelessly to serve his adopted nation that provided him with true freedom of opportunity.  
That dream of freedom, realized in America, also drove him to lead the fight for a Cuba free from the shackles of communism.”   

Join us in remembering Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart.