Above photo: Bill Hackwell.
Culminating a week of activism in Washington DC in support of the Cuban people, 500 people gathered here today in the plaza that holds the statue of the Argentinian liberator General José de San Martín, that ironically is located next to the US State Department where offices work overtime to come up with ways and methods to punish Cuba for insisting on its sovereignty. The majority of the protestors came from the cities on the East Coast including New York, Boston Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virginia, South Carolina and a delegation from Puentes de Amor from Florida.
Prior to the march a large art mosaic made up of 100 panels was assembled and meticulously held up by activists conjuring a temporary image that referenced Cuba be taken of the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT).
This preliminary action set a tone of collaboration for the spirited and determined march that followed making its way past the statue of Simon Bolivar, another liberator of Latin America and then the Organization of American States (OAS) that is increasingly referred to as the Ministry of Colonies for its servitude to US imperialism. The protest than made its way up 17th Street turning onto Pennsylvania Avenue to its destination; Joe Biden’s White House where the mainly youthful demonstrators left no doubt about their determination to end the blockade of the island in a loud 90 minute rally that included speeches, chanting and music.
Many who were there today had just visited Cuba for the first time in May on solidarity delegations and had come back with inspiration and love by what they had seen. They also came back committed to work against a cruel sadistic policy that has gone on way too long and does not represent the great majority of people in this country.
The activities were called by the National Network on Cuba (NNOC), an organization that has been in existence since 1991 and is made up of 57 groups advocating for an end to Washington’s hostility towards Cuba.
The week had a remarkable uptick in solidarity events with over 30 cities holding events around the country. It is apparent that there is a new willingness amongst organizations working on Cuba and Latin America to work more closely together while putting aside some of the divisions of the past. This is key because without unity we have no chance of ending the blockade of Cuba or bringing about any fundamental change here in the US either, where the contradictions are painfully revealing like never before.
See video of the march in DC: