Cover Photography by Kira Derryberry
Marcia Warfel
October-November 2022 Cover Woman
Guest Editor: Elizabeth Ricci
“Echar pa’lante” is the Spanish phrase my friend Marcia Warfel lives by.
It loosely translates to “keep moving forward.” Marcia’s story is one of perseverance, friendships, faith, starting over, hustling, helping, and being helped. Marcia’s parents, the Garcias, fled Cuba when her mother, who was about to become a school teacher, refused to teach Communist studies, and her grandfather’s tobacco farm was seized by Fidel Castro’s regime. They came to the U.S. seeking opportunity and security, and they got their start washing dishes, working in factories, and cleaning hospitals in Connecticut, where Marcia was born.
The Garcias were a family of four, including Marcia, her parents, and her abuela, Clara, who was her refuge and confidante. Despite only having a fourth-grade education, Mr. Garcia was a multilayered go-getter, who had a strong work ethic and greatly influenced Marcia. Mrs. Garcia, on the other hand, was Marcia’s moral compass.
In 1973 the Garcias moved to Miami where the family continued with their Catholic faith, and Marcia made friends from all backgrounds, including her neighbor, Lee, from whom she learned English. Marcia has fond memories of her early childhood in Miami. She recalls gathering with extended family and listening to music – usually salsa – dancing, playing dominoes, endless Cuban dishes – from ropa vieja to flan – and enjoying time together late into the evening hours.
The family soon left the tumult that was Miami in the 1980s for Tallahassee. Marcia remembers being the only Latina in her classes at Trinity Catholic School and Maclay School. She and her classmates used to hang out around Killearn. On more than one occasion, they rang Coach Bobby Bowden’s doorbell and surreptitiously left FSU memorabilia in hopes he would sign and leave the treasures for them the next day. He always did.
Like many first-generation Americans, Marcia translated documents, opened accounts, negotiated business, and perform daily tasks on behalf of her Spanish-speaking family – all tasks that were traditionally delegated to men, but because she was an only child, the duties fell to Marcia. She learned early on that…
To learn more about Marcia and her life, you can access the full article by clicking on the magazine above.
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