By Lowell Iporac and Mark Friedman

Havana- June10

A US delegation composed of environmental activists, marine scientists and educators, students, activists in the US-Cuba solidarity movement participated in the international environmental conference, Cubambiente of 1300 from over 30 countries representing over one hundred organizations.

It is a bi-annual event that brings together scientists, educators, NGO’s, and country representatives to present research on the state of the environment, climate change, meteorological changes; to share and collaborate across borders. There has been a small but important delegation from LA and other cities for years despite the efforts by the US government blockade and attempts to block scientific data sharing. There were about 750 presentations in 300 specifically focused workshops.

Invited by the National Aquarium of Cuba, they presented workshops on ocean plastic pollution and the threats of the sargasso algae inundating the shores of Florida, Caribbean, and Latin America. They actively joined in discussions at several of the eight simultaneous congresses taking place, especially those on environmental education, biodiversity, and climate change. Their interventions included updates on scientific and political developments in the U.S. and the need to end the 65-year US blockade to promote scientific collaboration, trade, and travel.

Cuba developed and is implementing a multi-decade program called Tarea Vida (https://youtu.be/APN6N45Q6iU) to mitigate the impact of climate change. A few of the measures taken are: Plant mangroves around the island to absorb rising sea levels. Move agriculture up the mountains to a cooler climate. Move over 30,000 families who live near shore further inland and build and give them new houses. Cuba’s studies include the impact of higher temperatures on malfunctioning human organs and immune system.

Special meeting with Cuban Trade union leaders, CTC international representatives, students

“We thank you for your continued support in defending Cuba.  We give our unconditional support to the LA Hands-Off Cuba Committee, your activities, and the formation of your broad democratic committee involving organizations, unions, political activists, and individuals. Your committee takes the moral high ground in defending Cuba.” said Miguel Angel Alvarez, North American International Relations Director, CTC (Central Trabajadores Cubana – national Cuban trade union association of 15 different unions encompassing millions of Cuban workers).

Miguel Angel was addressing a special meeting organized by the CTC national leadership that included the director of the CTC Department of International Relations and CTC International Relations directors from Asia, Oceania, Africa, Middle East, and North America. Young apprentices of the CTC also participated. Once these youth graduate from their school for international affairs, they will assume leadership positions in international relations departments of Cuban organizations. A reporter for the union paper, Trabajadores, also participated.

The purpose of this special meeting, he explained, was to “discuss the type of activities organized by the LAHOC, how it functions, and to use it as a model for others organizing internationally.”  In his introduction, he described its composition of 50 organizations, unions, political groups, and individual activists on the basis of unity around three demands: 1. Remove Cuba from Washington’s list of “state sponsor of terrorism nations” (SSOT), 2. Ending the blockade, trade, and travel bans and 3. Ending the 243 sanctions imposed by the US against Cuba.

Students asked questions about why our committee was organized on the basis of these three demands and focused solely on Cuba; and a question about differences between the Democratic and Republican parties’ positions on Cuba. They were interested to learn that the committee recruits new supporters by attending strikes, labor protests, and demonstrations on Palestine, Philippines, Korea, and women’s right to choose. During these events, the committee has a literature table and distributes thousands of flyers educating about Cuba’s positions on relevant issues, Family Code, etc. Video message from CTC youth. https://youtu.be/XsAHKKZR8pY

The 2-hour meeting was followed by a detailed conversation with the Trabajadores reporter who asked questions about the various organizations in the committee, diversity, youthfulness, and union participation. She asked how all of us got involved and what we planned upon return. We reported that there would be meetings in Miami and Los Angeles.

Members and supporters of the LA Hands-Off Cuba Committee (LAHOC) that included unionists from the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), International Association of Machinists (IAM), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and marine researchers, participated in a series of other important meetings over the week here to expand collaboration and solidarity on the international level to force Washington to remove Cuba from the list of terrorist nations, to end the blockade and to remove all sanctions. This included a meeting with the video production company, Belly of the Beast, and the magazine, Boletín El Bohio, produced by the Centro De Investigadores Pesqueras (Center for Investigation of Fisheries-CIP)

The committee had previously organized a “LA Labor and Youth Activists” delegation of 37 to participate in the CTC Pasantía with 100 international trade union guests prior to May Day solidarity activities.  That delegation included activists and leaders from the Amazon Labor Union, workers from the Inland Boatman’s Union, Machinists, United Steelworkers, Bakery and Confectionery workers, teachers, social service workers and youth from numerous organizations in LA, North Carolina, New York, Phoenix, San Diego and Miami.               (Belly of the Beast delegation video. https://youtu.be/3GV79nwc1m4)

Charlotte Williams, who participated in the “Building Relations with Cuban Labor” delegation to Cuba in May, and is now active in the LAHOC, organized a meeting with the Cuban agricultural ministry to deliver a sack of seeds for Cuban farmers and to discuss further solidarity that can be organized with California farmers.

Delegation members also met with North American Relations Director for the International Committee for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), Leima Martínez, to discuss expanding efforts in the US, including a concert for raising medical aid for Cuba with a famous Cuban jazz pianist on August 27 in LA. At the initiative of LAHOC, they reported, a united movement meeting representing 10 different delegations in Cuba in May was held prior to the June 25 regional and national protests.

Lowell Iporac from Miami reported on efforts to build a free speech movement to defend the ability of the Miami Caravans to hold peaceful activities and caravans against the blockade with Puentes De Amor.  This was an important component of all of their media interviews. The delegation also delivered more than $9000 worth of medical supplies to the Calixto Garcia hospital and art supplies to the National Aquarium of Cuba.

Extensive interviews with delegation members included Granma (national newspaper of Cuba), Trabajadores (CTC newspaper), CGTN (China state media), and Cubavision (international Cuban TV).

Website: ushandsoffcubacommittee.com

Email: 

Instagram: @ushandsoffcuba     WhatsApp & Cell: 310.350.7515

END THE US EMBARGO OF CUBA. Normalize Relations.

Remove Cuba from Washington’s list of nations supporting terrorism. 

End the sanctions, trade & travel bans of Trump/Biden.