In a recent interview shared on journalist Jorge Ramos' YouTube channel, the legendary singer Gloria Estefan expressed her concern over the current state of division in the United States. Despite having experienced difficult times of racial segregation in her youth, she remarked that she has never witnessed the nation this polarized. "In the 65 years I've been here, I saw segregation, the horrors faced by African Americans during a time when they tried to stand strong with Martin Luther King. I was just a child, but I saw it all... And I've never seen anything like this," Estefan stated, visibly worried about the challenges faced by immigrant communities today.
The Cuban-born artist, who sought refuge in the U.S., spoke candidly about the fear she feels regarding the tense atmosphere in her adopted country, particularly due to the immigration policies of former President Donald Trump's administration, which pursued and deported individuals who entered the U.S., even through legal means. "It frightens me when government divisions are ignored... when a law is passed and not upheld," she pointed out, referencing what she perceives as a breakdown in the democratic balance among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Throughout the interview, Gloria Estefan also pondered the fragility of freedom and the constant need to defend it. "Remember, I come from Cuba... People in the United States don't realize how delicate freedom is," she cautioned, expressing her hope to be wrong about the direction the nation is heading.
This conversation was part of episode 20 of the program "Así veo las cosas," where they also discussed topics such as the release of her new album Raíces, the significance of singing in Spanish in the U.S., and personal memories concerning Cuban exile, the Vietnam War, and her life with Emilio Estefan. The full interview is available on Jorge Ramos' YouTube channel, which boasts over 180,000 subscribers.