Minneapolis, MN – The Solidarity Committee on the Americas (SCOTA) and the Minnesota Cuba Committee held their second rally and car caravan, September 26, demanding the end to the blockade against Cuba. The protest was part of a growing movement which started in Miami and has spread to many cities across the country and around the world.

Miami, FL – In the morning hours of Sunday, September 26, roughly 60 protesters gathered outside of Miami City Hall as part of a National Day of Action to demand President Biden end the decades-long blockade of Cuba. The national call was put out by the Cuban solidarity organization Puentes de Amor (Bridges of Love) and was attended locally by Cuban Americans, anti-war activists and community members.

Paez, Venezuela – Groups of mainly women stand with pride in front of Manuelita Saenz Bolivarian School and Community Center. The new center and school provide classes on music, culture, politics, feminism, sports, etc. Children and adults from all over the neighborhood attend to open their minds and improve their education.

Acarigua, Portuguesa state, Venezuela – Long lines, including a lot of red-clad United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) supporters of the Chavez/Maduro party, wrapped around the block until 1 a.m. on August 9, waiting to vote for the tens of thousands of new candidates running in the primary regional elections. Polls were to close at 6 p.m. August 8, but Venezuelans felt energized to participate in the democracy and vote to continue the revolutionary policies of PSUV.

Caracas, Venezuela – Images of men sitting in prison, looking down at their shoes, awaiting court for violating and committing acts of violence against women appear on the TV screen. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen are the words, “The most people in prison in Venezuela are men who have committed gender violence.”

Caracas, Venezuela – Geovanni Peña, the director of the National Institute of Prevention, Health and Worker Safety, states, “Capitalism is the biggest reason for COVID deaths. Here, the Venezuelan government protects the working class and the people feel a collective social responsibility to protect each other. This is why we only have six Delta variant cases, while Delta increases exponentially throughout the USA and other countries.”

Maracay City, Venezuela – In the worker-controlled Venezuelan Kellogg factory, you see the workers working diligently to make corn flake and sugary cereals in a new package displaying the Venezuelan flag and the words “Together for Venezuela.” They are wearing black caps with red letters that say, “Kellogg made in socialism.”

Caracas, Venezuela -The bustling streets of Caracas are full of masked people, during “open week.” You hear Latin music flowing from the stores, children playing soccer and laughing, merchants selling empanadas. 95% of the people you see are wearing masks outside, since it’s the government mandate.

Caracas, Venezuela – Groups of women, wearing blue hardhats, stand proudly in front of a five-floor building, surrounded by lush mountains. The community members are building 93 apartments for families in the area. 80% of the workers are women.

Minneapolis, MN – Around 30 people took to May Day Plaza, July 29, to hold signs and banners in a show of solidarity with the people of Cuba and Haiti after a new wave of U.S. intervention attempts. This event came after the Biden administration’s July 22 issuance of new sanctions on Cuba, as well as the July 7 assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse.