Seattle, WA — On February 7, two dozen people attended fundraiser for medical aid for Cuba hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The fundraiser featured a screening of the Spanish-language documentary Che: Un Hombre Nuevo and a panel discussion with activists who had all recently been to Cuba and who shared details about the blockaded country.

Recent escalations to the unilateral sanctions on Cuba by the U.S. are not only violations of international law but represent the dying gasps of an empire no longer able to achieve its imperial aims through “soft power.” Cuba may pose no material danger to the United States, but its successful socialist revolution, refusal to bend a knee, and continued humanitarian support and solidarity to sovereign nations under similar threat from the U.S. empire – Venezuela is only one example – makes it an ideological threat to a state that relies on a lie: that the only viable way of life is under capitalism.

Che: Un Hombre Nuevo (2010), a film by Tristán Bauer, shows the thoughts of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the doctor-turned-revolutionary born in Argentina who became one of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro’s most trusted comrades-in-arms during Cuba’s revolutionary struggle.

In this documentary, which took 12 years to come together, viewers are able to understand the day-to-day of revolutionary struggle, the hardships of training, the material support of the rural peasants; incredible strides made post-revolution through literacy campaigns and carefully planned industrialization; the personal sacrifices of those who serve the revolution, just to name a few details – through private archives, letters and recordings. These powerful footages and narrative dispel the propaganda of the U.S. empire that aim to delegitimize the socialist revolution to manufacture consent for imperialism’s unilaterally imposed sanctions which kill thousands through what is effectively a modern-day siege.

Beyond the informative aspects of the documentary, the brave struggle of the people who fought to liberate Cuba from the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista serves as an inspiration to all those who fight for liberation today. As Che himself says, “The eagerness to sacrifice a life for the good of the noble ideals is useless if it is a one-man effort. To start a revolution, you need the people mobilized as a whole.”

After the documentary, a panel that included Nolan Good, a member of FRSO Seattle who was on the 2025 May Day Brigade, and Cindy Domingo, a labor leader and activist who has visited Cuba regularly since the 90s, answered questions from the audience about daily life in Cuba.

Cuba’s revolution is threatened by tightening U.S. sanctions designed to force regime change on the country. Now more than ever all progressive people should stand up and say “Hands off Cuba! End the blockade now! ¡Cuba sí! ¡Bloqueo no!”

#SeattleWA #International #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #Blockade

Los Angeles, CA – On Thursday, November 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a resolution that is put forward every year to end the U.S. imposed economic blockade of Cuba. For the 31st year in a row, the resolution was not passed despite the overwhelming majority of the world voting in favor of the resolution. Those in favor of ending the U.S. imposed sanctions were 187 countries, and only two voted against the resolution, the United States and the apartheid state of Israel.

The economic blockade, or embargo, of Cuba has been in place for 63 years. The United States imposed it to punish Cubans for daring to fight and win their liberation in armed struggle against U.S. imperialism during the Cold War era. Cuban guerilla fighters defeated the dictatorship of Fulgencio Bautista and won their right to independence, democracy, and true liberation through a socialist revolution. In 1960, the U.S. attacked Cuba’s revolution with many cruel tactics, one of them being economic warfare.

The intention of the economic blockade is to starve and suffocate Cuba’s economy in order to break the spirit of the Cuban people and pressure them to turn against their own government. The blockade does not allow Cuba to trade with U.S. companies and it prevents other countries from engaging in trade relations with Cuba, if they want to remain in relations with the U.S. Food, medicine, medical equipment, hygienic products, cars, industrial equipment and much more are difficult to import into the country due to the embargo.

The world condemns the blockade and recognizes the cruelty and injustice that Cubans have suffered for more than six decades. In explaining its vote, the UN representative of the United States, Paul Folmsbee said, “We strongly support [Cubans] pursuit of a future with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” and that sanctions are “one set of tools” to accomplish this.

The U.S. has never respected the human rights of oppressed people. On the same day, the U.S. House of Representatives approved $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel's genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza despite the recent historic mass protests across the country calling on the end of U.S. aid to Israel.

Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, stated after the UN General Assembly vote that Cubans are deprived of their right to progress, through this “illegal, cruel and inhumane policy.” He also condemned Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and extended his solidarity to the Palestinian people. “These barbaric acts must stop.”

Karina Lopez is a proud Chicana member of Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) in Los Angeles.

#LosAngelesCA #Cuba #Blockade #CentroCSO

St. Paul, MN – On September 24, cars participated in the Women Against Military Madness’ Solidarity Committee of the Americas (SCOTA) and the MN Cuba Committee’s monthly car caravans to show solidarity with Cuba, demand an end to the 60-year blockade against Cuba and that Cuba be taken off the U.S.’ state sponsor of terrorism list.

This month, this caravan’s focus was on FBI repression which is ramping up against Cuba solidarity activists.

People gathered in a parking lot located at Griggs-Midway building on University Avenue, a main street which is home to Saint Paul’s working-class residents and lined with predominantly Asian and Black-owned businesses and homes.

They decorated their eight cars with signs, “Cuba si, bloqueo no,” “U.S. Hands off Cuba” and “End the blockade on Cuba,” and Cuban flags and piled into the vehicles.

As the caravan left the parking lot, they stayed in contact through Zoom, chanting out the windows and honking. The people on the streets saw cars with the Cuban flags flying from the windows and heard chants of “Cuba si, bloqueo no,” “Let Cuba Live,” “2-4-6-8, Cuba is not a terrorist state” and “End the blockade on Cuba.”

The route included a stop at the Minnesota State Capitol; the protesters stepped out of their cars with the capitol building in the background to hear speeches that focused on this month’s theme, FBI repression.

Sarah Martin of SCOTA gave context to the theme, “We are holding this caravan today, September 24 – this is the 13th anniversary of the FBI raids on the homes of anti-war and international solidarity activists in Minnesota, Michigan and Chicago. In the following weeks, the witch hunt continued and, in the end 23 activists had been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury for ‘material support to terrorists’. All refused to cooperate with the ridiculous witch hunt or testify before the grand jury about the people they had met with in Colombia or Palestine. They stayed silent and, in the end, no one went to prison.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, a member of the Anti-war Committee whose house was raided that day, spoke, “Federal harassment of international solidarity activists continues. On May 7, several members of the National Network on Cuba were detained and harassed at the Miami airport by border and customs officials. Then on June 22 members of the National Network, Pastors for Peace and Code Pink were arrested at Senator Bob Menendez’ office for merely wanting to speak with him. Talking to a U.S. official is not a crime. That is what they’re paid for.” She went on to say, “Being quiet is never the answer. We must speak out in defense of Cuba as well as our movement because we need the movement to win.”

Aby-Keirstead ended her speech with a rousing chant, “When Cuba is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Before the next speaker, Martin led with a chant, “When people of conscience are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Joe Callahan, member of the MN Cuba Committee and SCOTA, also spoke of the escalation of harassment of people and groups traveling to Cuba. “Last year the Puerto Rican Committee and Solidarity with Cuba Committee, after returning from a trip to the island, were harassed by the FBI who visited them in their homes and called them on the phones. Last year, members of the May Day brigade were detained at the airport and had their phones confiscated for a short time.”

In July, Callahan went with Pastors for Peace to Cuba on their 33rd Friendship Caravan and upon his return, he was detained and questioned but he only gave them one answer of why he went to Cuba, “With license of supporting the Cuban people.”

Callahan concluded by saying, “In a new escalation, members of the Venceremos Brigade, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Mancado, regarded as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution, were questioned on their way down to Cuba. This is not the Trump administration. This is Biden and company. We must pay attention to these attacks, resist and continue to visit Cuba.”

As the caravan made its way back, discussion was underway over the airwaves of the upcoming United Nations annual vote to end the U.S. blockade on Cuba in the beginning of November. There will be many actions across the country and world to put pressure on the United States and Israel to finally stand with the world saying “Let Cuba live!” and end the blockade.

#StPaulMN #Cuba #Sanctions #Blockade

New York City, NY – On Saturday, September 23, more than 500 anti-war organizers and activists from across the United States converged for “Voices of Dignity: The People vs. Blockades,” an evening program in support of Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The event was hosted by the Let Cuba Live Coalition and took place at the Society for Ethical Culture of New York .

The General Assembly of the United Nations meets in Manhattan every year, and the opening days of each year’s session bring political leaders from around the world. This year, progressive organizers on the ground have mobilized to welcome and support the leadership from Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela – both countries which continue to suffer from unmitigated hostility and economic attacks from the United States.

Saturday evening’s event focused specifically on the brutal sanctions that America has placed upon Venezuela in recent years, along with the human suffering caused by the ongoing blockade of Cuba. The speakers brought attention to the cruel, inhumane sanctions on the Venezuelan and Cuban medical sectors, in particular, and the ways that both countries were able to protect their citizens from COVID-19 despite the cruel American attempts to undermine them.

The speakers included the president of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, along with the foreign minister of Venezuela, Yvan Gil Pinto, executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research Vijay Prashad, and Dr. Samira Addrey, a Ghanaian physician-activist who received her degree from the legendary socialist medical school the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba. Radical musical accompaniment was provided by DJ Cardamami, Linqua Franqa, and the Arturo O’Farrill Quartet. Manolo de los Santos, founder of The People’s Forum, was the evening’s host.

President Diaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Gil Pinto both took time to express their countries’ sincere gratitude for the organizing and activism of U.S. based solidarity movements, and emphasized the importance of continuing to put pressure on the U.S. government to abolish the horrific sanctions and blockade, in the name of humanity. As President Diaz-Canel noted, despite the difficult times in which we are living, “pessimism is not in the nature of a revolutionary.”

All speakers urged the attendees to sign the Let Cuba Live petition, demanding that the U.S. remove Cuba from the government’s list of “State Sponsors of Terrorism.” Under the Trump administration, not only did the U.S. announce 243 new sanctions against Cuba – designed to weaken its infrastructure and punish its population – but the U.S. also added Cuba to the list of countries that sponsor terrorist organizations. This is an absurd accusation, especially coming from the State Department, but it has made it nearly impossible for the Cuban state to complete important international trade and banking operations for necessary goods, including fuel, food, medicine and construction supplies.

To sign on to the petition, visit www.letcubalive.info.

#NewYorkNY #Cuba #Venezuela #Sanctions #Blockade #LetCubaLive

Hialeah, FL – Over 70 members of the South Florida Cuban community took part in a car and bicycle caravan through Hialeah to demand an end to the immoral and illegal U.S. blockade of Cuba. This caravan near Miami was one of dozens of actions that took place not only in cities across the United States, but in countries across the world, from Canada to Egypt to Cuba itself.

The cars were draped with oversized Cuban flags and posters that read, “No mas bloqueo” and “Abajo el bloqueo de Cuba,” as bicyclists chanted and waved their smaller flags. The caravan passed through the congested streets of Hialeah, with honks of support at every corner. The atmosphere was loud and festive and, for many, the action was deeply personal. Many who joined the caravan have family in Cuba and know firsthand the effects of the cruel, decades-long U.S. economic sanctions on the island nation.

Of course, right-wing anti-Cuban Cubans in the area showed up from time to time, trying to run their cars into the caravan and shout profanities at the pro-Cuba drivers. But their rude remarks and attempts at violence did not affect the caravan. Caravanners not only outnumbered the counter-protesters, but out-spirited them as well.

After the caravan, the bicyclists and drivers met in a large, abandoned parking lot. They listened and danced to traditional Cuban music, while watching videos of the massive caravan that was taking place in Havana simultaneously. They also gathered to hear the impassioned pleas of a handful of speakers who called on President Biden to end to the U.S. sanctions against Cuba and demanded the right for all people to freely travel to their beloved home country.

#HialeahFL #Cuba #PeoplesStruggles #Blockade #Americas

Fight Back!: The Anti-War Committee Chicago recently put together a fundraiser to send activists to Cuba, could you please explain the purpose of the trip?

Westberry: Certainly. We went in order to attend the Fourth International Seminar of the World Peace Council. The theme this year emphasized the need to put pressure on the U.S. to close Guantanamo Bay and to assist in the political tasks of normalization of relations.

Fight Back!: Who else was in attendance?

Westberry: Three of us from Anti-War Committee Chicago as part of the United National Antiwar Committee, about 100 other Americans and 300 others from around the world, including Mexico, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Palestine, Tunisia, Colombia, Germany, Japan and many other countries.

The conference was overseen by World Peace Council President Socorro Gomes and General Secretary Thanassis Pafilis, also in attendance were officials representing the Provincial People’s Power Assembly of Guantanamo province and Jose Ramon Balaguer Cabrera, head of the foreign relations Department of the Cuban Communist Party.

Fight Back!: So what was the first thing you noticed about the country?

Westberry: When we arrived in Havana, the very first thing we noticed was the patriotism and the hope the Cuban people have for the future.

Cuba is not like the rest of Latin America. In 1959 they won their independence from the U.S. and this revolution has been an integral part of the culture ever since. Instead of pushing products, billboards will ‘advertise’ for socialism! Che Guevara is easily the most common image of a personality on the island, the Cubans are so proud of their revolutionary history, it was like no other place we’ve ever been.

Fight Back!: Do you think the Cuban youth support their revolution?

Westberry: Like I said, there is a lot of hope for the future in Cuba that doesn’t exist in the rest of the Americas. Young people are able to attend primary school to university for free, to receive free health care and to be guaranteed a place to live. Cuban people we talked to sometimes admitted to being curious about life in the capitalist world, but were quick to head back to Cuba when they realized their family in Miami neglected to mention homeless people and for-profit healthcare!

Fight Back!: Do you think there is a possibility that the restoration of diplomatic relations with the U.S. will reverse the socialist revolution?

Westberry: No, no, no. I understand some progressives hold the position that the Cubans are compromising their revolutionary principles, so I’m just going to take a minute to go over how absurd that is.

The Cubans have been demanding normal relations with the U.S. since the 1959 revolution, to finally allow for the re-opening of embassies and at the same time have the Cuban Five returned to the island is a huge victory and shows that the U.S. is negotiating from a weak international position, not a position of strength.

Further, with normalization underway it will be a better situation for pushing for further demands, such as the lifting of the U.S. blockade, which I hope to see in our near future.

Cubans are not going to see our health care system and want to emulate it, if anything the increased numbers of American visitors to the island will leave them asking questions like: “Why do we still have corporate healthcare in the U.S.? Why do we still have homeless people in the U.S.?”

Ultimately the normalization of relations holds fewer possibilities for imperialism than progressive humanity.

Fight Back!: What is the most important thing progressives need to know about Cuba?

Westberry: International solidarity is some of the most important work you can be doing right now. There were 100 Americans on the trip, but next time we would like even more.

We need to take our people’s movements further and make anti-imperialism a core principle of our movement against war, this is the way to lasting peace and this is what will end the military stranglehold on Cuba.

Fight Back!: Could you explain a little about what International solidarity looks like concretely?

Westberry: We should first of all echo the demands being put forward by our Cuban comrades since the process of normalization began: First, the U.S. should abandon the military base in Guantanamo Province; second, the U.S. should abandon the blockade; third, the U.S. should abandon any attempts at anti-socialist agitation on the island and finally, the U.S. should pay reparations to the Cuban people for the economic damage caused by the embargo.

Being positioned as we are, in the U.S., it is important to organize actions around the specific demands being pushed by the Cubans. For instance, we should support and build the demonstrations which take place in Miami to support the Cuban demand to abandon Guantanamo base.

These are concrete examples of international solidarity, and like the campaign to free the Five, I expect we will see tangible results very soon.

#ChicagoIL #Cuba #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #solidarity #Blockade #Embargo