Fifth Harmony’s Camila Cabello is very passionate about expressing pride for her Cuban heritage, which she shared in this open and inspirational personal essay.

When news broke of the passing of Cuba’s former president and the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, on November 25 at the age of 90, she immediately took to social media to share her emotions with her fans. (And all the heart and Cuban flag emojis, too, because obviously.)

“I want nothing more than to see the families that were divided to come together again and for all the years of pain to come to an end,” she posted on Instagram. She also tweeted “Tengo el corazon lleno de esperanza por CUBA. Los amo mi gente” in Spanish, which translates to “I have a heart full of hope for Cuba. I love you, my people.”

As an immigrant of Cuban-Mexican descent, Cabello speaks from experience: She spent the first years of her life split between Havana, where her mom’s family is from, and Mexico City, the home of her dad’s family, before she and her mother came to the United States, which she details in her personal essay.

An ocean may separate the U.S. from Cuba, but for Cabello and millions of Cubans and Cuban-Americans today, that ocean doesn’t stand in the way of a much stronger connection on a significant day.