Podcast Categories: Society & Culture

A podcast and video series that examines how America addresses violence, defines justice and seeks accountability through the journey of one man. Years after committing a horrific crime, Sterling Cunio fully faces the ripple effects of the harm he caused. Through the power of artistic expression and human connections and inspired by restorative justice principles, he forges a remarkable personal transformation while serving decades in prison.

This story is a poignant reminder that hope, healing, and redemption are never beyond reach, even in the darkest of places.

To see our companion video series and find out more about the show, go to our website at CellblockstoMountaintops.com

At the turn of the millennium, a five-year-old boy from Cuba found off the Florida coast on Thanksgiving became the most talked about child in America. Elián González had left Cuba with his mom and a dozen other migrants, trying to make it to the U.S. but on the way, the boat capsized. Elián’s mother drowned. Before she did, she tied her child to an inner tube, saving his life.

Relatives in Miami — Cuban exiles — took the boy in. His father in Cuba wanted him back. The ensuing international custody battle over Elián González became its own mini Cold War, pitting Cuban exiles in Miami against supporters of Castro’s regime on an island just 90 miles away. 

The fight over Elián’s future came down to neighbor against neighbor, family against family. Now, 25 years later — we revisit his story through the voices of people who lived it firsthand.

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