During a job interview I was once asked how I felt about Fidel Castro. “I would kill him if given a chance,” was my immediate reply. Castro had, after all, kicked my parents out of Cuba—their beloved island paradise.

Like so many of my generation, my view of Cuban-American relations was colored entirely by the older members of my family. I heard horrific tales of violent torture, constant human rights violations and how Castro stole their youth and homeland. I also heard constant predictions about when Castro would finally die. Unfortunately, Castro outlived many of the relatives who told me those stories.

Castro is now gone, of course. And this raises the question so many of our political leaders have grappled with: What should the future hold for Cuban-American relations?