Sustaining a Legacy for Continued Organizing

Cuba Caravans Provide Solidarity and Increase Challenge to US Blockade

The 2012 caravan marked the 20th anniversary of our US-Cuba Friendshpment Caravans. We donated 6 vehicles and 80 tones of humanitarian aid. Highlights of this caravan included a series of wonderful celebrations of our 20th anniversary, a beautiful parade through Havana of caravan vehicles donated over the past 20 years, a visit with Elian and his father in Matanzas, laying of a wreath at the anti-imperialist tribunal on behalf of our founding director Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., and an inspiring meeting with family members of the Cuban Five.

The 2014 Cuba Friendshipment Caravan was a major success. Our network throughout the US and Canada organized over 50 solidarity events and sent almost 100 tons (including vehicles) of aid to Cuba. Our partners on the island were very impressed with the aid we delivered this year. “The best it’s ever been” said Pastora Estela Hernandez of the William Carey Baptist Church.

This summer 20 US and European participants of the 25th Caravan all met in McAllen, Texas to organize, sort, label, and manifest all of the aid donated throughout the US and Canada.

The Caravanistas were extremely happy with the programming this year as they learned about many aspects of Cuban life. They visited the Organiponico Vivero Alamar (OVA), an organic, sustainable farm just outside Havana where they learned about sustainable farming. At OVA everything is recycled and organic, unlike other farming practices around the world that rely on the synthetic fertilizers and the model of industrialized agriculture.

They met with the Manuel Vázquez Seijido, head of the Legal Advice Team of the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) who answered all their questions about the Cuban LGBT community. It was very encouraging to learn that Cuba was extremely advanced on this issue, much more than the US.

On several occasions they also had the fortune to meet with Fernando Gonzalez, one of the Cuban Five heroes who after serving 15 years in a US Federal prison for protecting his country against terrorist attacks, was released in February 2014. It was an honor for all of us to meet this modern day freedom fighter who sacrificed so much for his country. Fernando was extremely grateful for the work and solidarity that IFCO/Pastors for Peace and the caravanistas have been a part of for the past 15 years in support of the Cuban Five and implored that we continue our work until the remaining three: Gerardo, Antonio, and Ramon, who a that point had not been released yet. We provided him with a 25^th Friendshipment caravan t-shirt and named him an honorary caravanista.

ELAM Graduates in Our Communities

US graduates from ELAM really began making an impact in communities across the US during this period. IFCO developed relationships with key health institutions in cities like NYC, Chicago and the SF/Bay Area to help facilitate placement at community health-based residencies like the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn and Harlem Hospital.

Free the Cuban Five Campaign

IFCO continued to help lead the Free the Cuban Five campaign by organizing caravans in support, mobilizing legislative support and conducting grassroots media campaigns across the US. Each caravan and delegation would meet with members of the Cuban Five’s family and supporters to offer solidarity. In December 2014, the international movement to free the Cuban Five succeeded as they were release from U.S. prisons and returned to their homeland after decades of grassroots pressure.