Evelio Grillo (June 4, 1919 - December 28, 2008) [1] was an American writer and community organizer. [2] He is a well-known advocate for civil rights. [2] He is best known for his book Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir. [2]
Grillo was born in Ybor, Florida to Cuban parents. [3]
As a child, Grillo went to segregated schools, noting "Black Cubans were closer to black Americans and white Cubans were closer to white Americans [so we] became culturally African American." [3] Later, Grillo went on to the prestigious Dunbar High School [4] before attending Xavier University of Louisiana, where he received a BA. [2] Post-war, he took classes at Columbia University in New York City, specializing in Latin American history. [2]
Grillo is the author of the seminal text, Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir. [4] This memoir detailed not only Grillo's life but the way segregation affected Black Americans during the World War II. [3] It discussed the specific way Afro-Latinos had to live as both Latinos and African-Americans. [5]
Grillo died on December 28, 2008, at the age of 89. [1]