Standing at the edge of Biscayne Bay, the Freedom Tower is more than an architectural landmark. It is a living testament to what happens when freedom is taken away, and what is possible when it is restored.
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For thousands of Cuban exiles who passed through its doors in the 1960s, including my own parents, it was the first sign that democracy could still make room for hope after communism had taken everything else. Today, it stands as a symbol of resilience, hope, and the enduring promise of democracy.
Today, that lesson feels more urgent than ever. That’s why higher education must play a larger role in defending it.
At Miami Dade College, we launched the Institute for Freedom in the Americas Fellowship, bringing together emerging leaders from across Latin America and Spain, who came together around a shared belief: democracy must be strengthened, protected, and renewed.
Democracy in Latin America matters because democracy is the only system of government that protects individual rights, enables peaceful transfers of power, and creates the conditions for long-term economic growth and social stability. We know what happens when democracy erodes, people suffer, and the effects ripple far beyond borders.
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Over several days, the Fellows engaged with public officials, scholars, and elected leaders at the state and local levels. They explored the intersection of technology, democracy, leadership from local government, civic engagement, AI and cybersecurity, and the growing responsibility institutions have to prepare ethical and informed leaders.
Education and democracy are interconnected. A democracy that fails to advance educational freedoms and economic competitiveness, and engages citizens civically, will eventually concentrate opportunity in the hands of the few. And when opportunity disappears, instability follows.
Colleges are among America’s most important democratic institutions. We prepare not only the workforce but also engaged citizens. We have a responsibility to prepare leaders who understand not only how economies … but how democracies endure.
Through the Institute for Freedom in the Americas at Miami Dade College, located at the Freedom Tower, is the powerful, enduring lesson of the Freedom Tower. Democracy is not a monument but must be lived through generations’ willingness to protect and practice it.
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