Before 1959, Cuba was governed by a
series of dictators imposed by the US
government.
U.S. Companies owned over 50%
of Cuba’s railways, over 70% of its
land and 90% of Cuba’s telephone
and electricity services. The Cuban
people lived in poverty and hunger
while the resources and wealth of
their country were plundered and
funnelled outside of the island.
Led by Fidel Castro and other
revolutionary
fighters such
as Ernesto Che
Guevara and Raul
Castro the Cuban
people stood up
against the U.S.
backed dictator
Fulgencio Batista
and succeeded in
overthrowing Batista
on January 1, 1959. A
new Cuban government was formed to
represent the interest of Cuban people
and right to self-determination of the
Cuba against the U.S. Domination and
exploitation.
Soon after the triumph of the Cuban
revolution, the U.S ceased all diplomatic
relations with Cuba and imposed a full
economic blockade against the island.
This inhuman blockade has so far cost
the Cuban economy $1.2 trillion and
continue to cause shortages of medicine,
food and other necessary supplies to
the Cuban people. People from around
the world have been demanding an
end to the U.S. blockade against Cuba,
including the United Nations general
assembly which in 2014, for the 23rd
year, voted to condemn the blockade of
Cuba by United States.
Building People to People Relations
Every summer since 1992, the Pastors
for Peace Caravan to Cuba, a Cuba
solidarity project organized by the Inter-
religious Foundation for Community
Organization (IFCO) in the United
States, breaks the U.S. blockade and
travel ban against Cuba. Brightly painted
school buses, full of Humanitarian aid
people travel through up to 100 cities
in Canada, U.S. and Mexico raising
awareness about the U.S. blockade
against Cuba. The Humanitarian aid
collected is openly taken through the
Canada/U.S. Border then the U.S./
Mexico border and then delivered to
Cuba. Caravanistas, as people call them,
participate in a educational and cultural
program in Cuba and then
return to the U.S.
declaring that
they have been to
the island nation.
Over the past 25
Caravans thousands
of participants and
over 30,000 tons
of humanitarian aid
have been brought
to Cuba, building a
‘people-to-people’ foreign
policy based on mutual
respect, solidarity and
friendship between
the people of the U.S.,
Canada and Cuba.
On December 17,
2014, U.S. President
Barack Obama and
Cuban President
Raul Castro both
announced the
first steps towards
reestablishing
diplomatic ties between the U.S. and
Cuba after over 50 years of U.S. hostility
towards Cuba. However, despite ongoing
negotiations and some important steps
forward, the U.S. government is still
refusing to lift its cruel and inhuman
blockade against Cuba.
In the lights of this new diplomatic
developments, the 26th annual Pastors
for Peace Caravan to Cuba is one of
the most important ever as we need to
increase our work and pressure on the
U.S. government to end its blockade
on Cuba. This year’s caravan kicked off
with a successful U.S./Canada Border
Crossing. The following is a report from
Vancouver Communities in Solidarity
with Cuba on its border crossing event.
Victory at B.C./Washington State Border
Just before 5pm on Saturday, June 27,
2015, a van full of humanitarian aid
for Cuba crossed the Canada/U.S.
border, breaking the illegal, immoral
and unjust U.S. blockade against Cuba!
This great victory was accompanied by
a loud, colourful and energetic rally at
the Peace Arch border crossing, which
had supporters of Cuba from both
British Columbia and Washington
State chanting, “Lift the Blockade on
Cuba NOW! Abajo el Bloqueo!” as the
van full of humanitarian aid entered the
U.S. customs area. Our united voices
ensured that the all of the humanitarian
aid, including wheelchairs, walkers,
canes, sewing machines, hand tools
and sports equipment continued on
the road to Cuba as part of the 26th
Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba.
The victory this year was especially
important because all of the
humanitarian aid crossed through
the Peace Arch Park border crossing,
despite the initial objections of the
U.S. border officials. In the last few
years activists bringing humanitarian
aid through the border have been
told that no aid would be allowed to
pass through the Peace Arch Park
border crossing. Initially, this year was
no different, with the border officials
declaring “You know we will not let
you through here, why did you bother
coming?” But Caravan supporters
stood their ground and in the end all
of the humanitarian aid was allowed to
cross!
This year is also an important year for
the Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba
as after over 50 years of hostile U.S.
policies towards Cuba, a new dialogue
between the U.S. and Cuba has begun.
However, despite this opening, the over
50-year old criminal U.S. blockade on
Cuba remains in full force. Now it is
more important than ever
for people from around the
world to demand an end to
this cruel policy and increase
our efforts to end to the U.S.
blockade against Cuba.
Before the victory at the
border, supporters of Cuba
from across Washington
State and B.C. gathered
in Peace Arch Park for a
potluck picnic complete
with delicious food, poetry,
live music and a featured
speaker, Nino Pagliccia,
Editor of the new book “Cuba Solidarity
in Canada: 5 Decades of People-to-
People Foreign Relations”(Friesen
Press, 2014). The MC of the day, Tamara
Hansen, the coordinator of Vancouver
Communities in Solidarity with Cuba
(VCSC), introduced a diverse program
that began with poetry from Vancouver
organizer Shakeel Lochan and Ruth
Caspell from Nanaimo, BC, who read
a poem from Cuban 5 hero Antonio
Guerrero. Next there were words
from Judy Zeh of the Seattle/Cuba
Friendship Committee and a first
time Caravanista. Judy also introduced
everyone to Xochitl Garcia, a recent
graduate of the Latin American
School of Medicine in Cuba.
The gathering also took time in
the program to recognize the great
contributions of two fighters for
Cuba that have passed, the founder of
Pastors for Peace, Rev. Lucius Walker
Jr. and a leader in the Cuba solidarity
and social justice movement in Seattle,
Tom Warner.
The event then received greetings from
Pastors for Peace organizer Manolo de
los Santos who called from Boston to
wish participants a successful border
crossing. The program closed with
the beautiful music of Maria Luisa
Melendez, who inspired the crowd as
they picked up signs, banners and flags
and began the march to challenge the
U.S. blockade on Cuba that would end
in victory.
This victory at the Canada/U.S. border
is the first test for this year’s Pastors
for Peace Caravan. We ask that all
of our supporters and co-fighters
stay on alert for the U.S./Mexico
border crossing on Thursday, July 16,
where the caravan could face another
challenge on their route to
make sure the humanitarian
aid reaches Cuba!
This year’s border crossing
was co-organized by
Vancouver Communities
in Solidarity with Cuba
(VCSC) and the Seattle/
Cuba Friendship Committee
and endorsed by ANSWER
Seattle, US Women &
Cuba Collaboration, Free
the Cuban 5 Committee –
Vancouver and the National
Committee to Free the
Cuban Five (Seattle).
Back to Article Listing
