story by J'nie Woosley

Five days after Elián González became a Cuban refugee, Alan Diaz, then a stringer for The Associated Press, began to capture images of a situation that altered the face of American perception. Five months later Diaz went home – himself a changed man. Diaz talked about his experiences and photographs during an evening chat as part of Visual Edge 2000. He said determination propelled him and led him to his famous photograph – a determination spawned by his identification with his Cuban-American roots and an intense desire to tell the story. On April 22, Diaz’s persistence paid off with the photograph of a frightened Elián being taken out of the arms of Donato Dalrymple by an armed INS agent – a photo professionals believe may earn Diaz the coveted Pulitzer Prize. It certainly earned him a full-time job with The AP. “I never knew that that would be the picture.” Diaz said. He held the camera to his face and never took it down. Diaz said the rapport he established with the González family enabled him to
record the situation in ways other photographers could not. He familiarized himself with every aspect of the household from its daily routines to its general clamor. I knew when they were making coffee,” Diaz said. “I knew when they were awake, and I knew any noise in the house.” Diaz knew in his gut that it was going to happen that night. “I knew exactly what was going on,” he said. “I knew it was going to be big." He couldn’t go to sleep so when he heard the INS in the back yard Diaz ran through the front of the house to find Elián. Less than two minutes after Diaz found him and took the photograph, Elián was gone from the room. “It’s a strange moment. It was like they were going crazy,” Diaz explained. "All I remember was this kid crying.”