By Leni Reeves
We want you to know.
We’ve been to Cuba!
This is what we used to shout as we entered U.S. Immigration, marching across the International Bridge from México to the United States at McAllen, Texas. This year’s Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba will return by different routes, but our defiance of the U.S. blockade and travel ban on Cuba remains unchanged; we go to Cuba to challenge these unjust laws and to end them. We also go to learn about Cuba.
In a spirit of sharing rather than defiance, we want you to know we’ve been to Cuba and what we saw and did there. We especially invite as honored guests all those who were part of the Caravan but couldn’t go to Cuba—those who visited legislators’ offices, wrote letters, made phone calls, set up and cleaned up events, donated their time and efforts, played music for us, and volunteered for the Emergency Response Network to make sure we got home safely. Thank you, fellow Caravanistas!
We went to Cuba with the Pastors for Peace Caravan, carrying a big load of solidarity and other blockade-breaking stuff. We saw some of the things in Cuba that the U.S. government doesn’t want us to see—the universal healthcare system, free education, urban agriculture, the women’s movement, new cooperative economic models, the LGBTQ+ community and the African diaspora experiences at the roots of Cuban resistance.
We’re here to talk about it with you. The Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba Reportback will be Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. at Community United Church of Christ (5550 N. Fresno St.). There will be food—potluck—and live music by Generaciones. It’s free, open to the public, wheelchair accessible, fun and interesting.
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Leni Reeves is a local physician and activist. Contact her at lenivreeves@gmail.com.
