Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, October 29, over 50 student and community activists gathered in the quad at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to demand an end to the illegal U.S. blockade of Cuba. This solidarity action was prompted because on October 30, the United Nations was set to vote on a resolution submitted by Cuba calling for an end to the brutal blockade imposed by the United States government.

This vote marked the 32nd time in the history of the UN that Cuba has submitted a resolution calling for the blockade, which is illegal under international law, to be lifted. In 2023, 187 countries voted to lift the blockade of Cuba. Only two countries voted against lifting the blockade, the U.S. and Israel.

Activists in attendance made it clear that they are proud to stand with the people of Cuba in calling for an end to the illegal U.S. blockade of Cuba.

Members of the campus-based Progressive Student Coalition at UIC, which includes Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Anakbayan and others, spoke at the rally. Community organizations like the Chicago Cuba Coalition, Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) endorsed the action and had representatives speak.

Jeremiah Muñoz, a member of SDS at UIC, spoke in solidarity with Cuba as someone who had the opportunity to visit the country. Muñoz said, “For over six decades, the United States has waged an economic war on the people of Cuba, trying to suffocate it into submission. Despite sanctions, blockades, threats and invasions, Cuba has stood strong against the U.S. empire. It has not only survived, but has shown the world that resistance against empire is possible and that revolution will prevail!”

Then, the president of SJP at UIC, Jenin Zayed, spoke about the parallels between the Palestinian freedom movement and the struggle to end the brutal blockade against Cuba. Zayed said, “America views Cuba as a threat because of Cuba’s anti-imperialist stance. Anything that threatens American imperialism, colonialism, or empire – the United States will sanction and choke off from the rest of the world. The country of Cuba has continued to support Palestine and Palestinians by providing medical aid to Palestine and scholarships to Palestinians.”

On behalf of the FRSO, Liz Rathburn gave a sweeping history of Cuba’s fight for national liberation and socialism, stating, “From the 1860s to the 1950s the Cuban people fought again and again to throw out colonial masters and liberate their country,” she said. “But in 1959, the Cuban people drove the U.S.-installed puppet dictator out of their country. They smashed the old system and sent the old rulers packing. In its place the Cuban people established a people's government – one that made the nation's wealth serve its people.”

Finally, a number of speakers noted that the blockade against Cuba starting in 1962 and Cuba’s designation as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” by U.S. officials in 1982 were both direct measures of economic and political repression against the people of Cuba. Similarly, the U.S. is still occupying parts of Cuba in Guantanamo Bay, which is illegal under international law.

Activists pointed to the fact Cuba has made great strides in eradicating homelessness, providing free universal health care, achieving a 99% literacy rate, and more. At the same time, however, the brutal blockade has starved Cuba of hundreds of billions of dollars and prevents it from importing critical technology, medicine, and food – all things crucial to guaranteeing the health and prosperity of the roughly 11 million people living in Cuba.

As a result, many deaths have taken place that could have been prevented by lifting the blockade. Currently, over 80% of Cuba’s population has never experienced life in Cuba without the blockade. Student and community activists ended the rally by taking a group photo, waving Cuban flags, and repeating the powerful chant of “Cuba sí! Bloqueo no!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #International #Cuba #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO