On February 23, 2010, Orlando Zapata Tamayo died in a Havana hospital,
where he had been transferred from prison after an 83-day hunger strike
in Cuba. Mr. Zapata was among the 75 internal opposition activists
detained in Cuba in March of 2003. He and the others were quickly tried
and sentenced. Mr. Zapata was serving a 36-year sentence, extended
from an original three-year sentence. He was one of 55 Cubans who have
been designated by Amnesty International as “Prisoners of Conscience.”
The Latin America Working Group expresses our utmost sorrow at his
passing and our distress over this tragic and indefensible death. We
call upon the Cuban government to institute a thorough investigation
into Mr. Zapata’s death.
While some historic snowstorms and the President's Day recess sidetracked our congressional advocacy work in the first couple weeks of February, the introduction of the Peterson-Moran Cuba bill (HR 4645) has helped us regain our "travel for all" momentum and represents our best chance to end the travel ban on Cuba in 2010.
Mavis Anderson, senior associate for Cuba policy at the Latin America Working Group, gave the following remarks at a congressional briefing for House staff on February 24, 2010. The briefing's panelists included Former Secretary of Agriculture under President Ronald Reagan, John Block; Father Juan Molina of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops; Chris Garza of American Farm Bureau; and moderating, Tom Garofalo of the New American Foundation. The briefing took place on Thursday February 24, 2010.
Today in Washington, Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson
(D-MN), Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), and at least 31 of their House
colleagues introduced new legislation (HR 4645) that would put the
United States and Cuba firmly on a path towards engagement by (finally)
restoring U.S. citizens' right to travel to Cuba and facilitating
needed U.S. agricultural sales to the island that were initially
approved by Congress in 2000.
A United States delegation led by Craig Kelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, met with Cuban officials led by Dagoberto Rodríguez, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, in Havana on Friday, February 19th, to discuss migration issues. This meeting marked the second round of migration talks since their suspension in 2004 by President George W. Bush.
On February 11th, Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), long time pro-embargo supporter (and creator), announced that he will not run for his tenth term this coming November.
“I am convinced that in the upcoming chapter of the struggle, I can be more useful to the inevitable change that will soon come to Cuba, to Cuba’s freedom, as a private citizen dedicated to helping the heroes within Cuba,” said Rep. Diaz-Balart.
If you've been following the national news, you've probably heard that Washington, DC, has been slammed by more snowstorms than usual this winter season (only Syracuse, NY, has had more). This past weekend's snowstorm, dubbed "Snowmageddon" by President Obama and "Snowpocalypse" by some LAWG staffers and other DC-area residents, was so powerful that the Federal Government has remained closed since the snowflakes began falling last Friday afternoon. Today, we're being hit by yet another snowstorm, and we haven't even finished shoveling and plowing ourselves out of the last one!
On a cold afternoon during the last days of 2009, a man dressed in a
black shirt, black pants, and a black hat walked through the quiet
halls of Congress with a guitar in hand. While no passerby could have
known it, this was a landmark moment for Grammy award-winning Cuban
singer-songwriter Carlos Varela. For the past ten years, Varela had
been denied a visa to tour in the United States due to harsher travel
restrictions imposed by the Bush Administration.
Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) hosted a briefing and performance
with Varela that highlighted the importance of international cultural
exchange. Varela—who has been compared to Bob Dylan for his beautiful,
often controversial lyrics and prolific repertoire—was frank in his
views on the problems caused by the increased restrictions on travel
between the U.S. and Cuba in recent years.
The Haitian earthquake that occurred on January 12th has left the poorest nation in our hemisphere in an even worse position. However, the international community has made a remarkable humanitarian effort to contribute to the relief of the Haitian people. Even nations that are typically at odds have joined together to help.
“The cigar-chomping, no-nonsense general who lifted New Orleans from
the depths of Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 thinks Cuba has some
important lessons to teach the United States in storm-fighting, and he
wants warmer relations with the nation's neighbor to the south for that
reason.”
See the full article from the shreveporttimes.com here.
“U.S. law lets American citizens travel to any country on earth, friend
or foe -- with one exception: Cuba. It's time for us to scrap this
anachronistic ban.” -Congressman Berman and Senator Lugar
Yesterday, in an op-ed published in the Miami Herald, Chairman Berman
of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senator Richard Lugar,
ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, endorsed
the freedom to travel to Cuba just in time for the long-awaited
committee hearing on Cuba travel. Here we go. The leadership in
Congress is firmly in favor of change and not afraid to say so.
Public
Campaign , a non-profit campaign finance research group, just released the most extensive study
of Cuban-American political donations to date. The conclusion: big
money from political action committees is the reason for our stagnant
Cuba policy.
Thursday, November 19th, the full House Foreign Affairs Committee will
hold a public hearing on the freedom to travel to Cuba. Official
announcement here. Chairman Howard Berman titled the hearing, “Is it Time to Lift the Ban
on Travel to Cuba?”
Following the UN votelast week over One Thousand of you sent letters to President Obama, in less than 24 hours, expressing a need to change U.S. policy toward Cuba. If you haven't taken this action, take it here.
The United Nations votes annually on a resolution to condemn the U.S.
embargo on Cuba. On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, the General Assembly,
like clockwork, voted again, for the 18th time.
The United Nations has voted (187-3) again to condemn the U.S. trade
embargo on Cuba. For the 18th consecutive year, the General Assembly
passed this resolution with nearly universal support. Such an
unpopular policy surely deserves a second look; it deserves to be
stopped. And the time is NOW.
UPDATE: The United Nations has voted 187 in favor, 3 against (US, Israel, Palau), and 2 abstentions (Micronesia, Marshall Islands) to condemn the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba.
The United Nations General Assembly will vote on a resolution whichcondemns the U.S embargo against Cuba on Wednesday, October 28th, forthe 18th year in a row. According to a CBS news report written afterthe 2008 U.N vote, “The U.S. embargo has cost Cuba $230 million a yearin foreign investment and caused the country more than $93 billion ineconomic damage since its inception, according to Cuban officials.”
An invitation from Wayne Smith, Former Chief of the U.S. Interests
Section in Havana and Senior Fellow and Director of the Cuba Program at
the Center for International Policy
This conference in New Orleans on disaster preparedness seems to open a new and critical door for bilateral exchange.
Cuba and the U.S. Gulf Coast are both in the path of hurricanes, which
are striking with increasing frequency and ferocity. It is therefore
of marked importance that they cooperate with one another against these
onslaughts, exchanging information and providing assistance to one
another as needed. The Cubans have indicated their full willingness to
do so. It is fitting that Cubans and Americans gather in New Orleans,
the American city that was most damaged by and had the highest losses
in lives from Hurricane Katrina, to discuss how this cooperation can
best be achieved.
The Washington Ballet debuted a fantastic production of Don Quixote at
the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts this week. The highlight
was an awe inspiring performance by Viengsay Valdés, the Primera
Bailarina of the Ballet Nacionál de Cuba. Ms. Valdés, a product of
Cuba’s world renowned ballet schools, played the lead role of Kitri in
a spectacular rendition of Cervantes’ classic Spanish novel. Many in
the crowd didn’t even know about the special guest, who tip-toed into
DC almost unnoticed. But the audience adored the Cuban ballerina and
interrupted the show frequently with extended applause. And out came
Cuban flags with the endless standing ovation for such a rare and
delightful performance.
***But we're not finished yet. The day
was a big success -- both in Washington and in communities throughout
this nation, and we need to continue the momentum for a common-sense
Cuba policy.
First and foremost, a much-deserved THANKS to everyone who
participated! We cannot stress enough how important your support and
participation were in creating CubaGO! To the Cuba policy advocates,
Cuban Americans, world travelers, agricultural and business
representatives, policy wonks, students, church activists, salsa
lovers, cigar aficionados, and friends from all over the country, we
thank you for making the day a tremendous success in moving us toward
the freedom to travel for all. Whether you organized events, made
calls, or traveled to DC, each effort was crucial to making CubaGO! -
go. So again, thank you for stepping up and supporting the Freedom to
Travel to Cuba.
Are you ready to CubaGO!? Today is the day to make history by making the travel ban history. Call your members of Congress NOW and get all your friends and family members to do the same.
It seems that a day cannot go by without an article in the MSM
declaring that “Cuba is opening up to the world.” There’s a lot of
tricky logic going in such statements, and this past Sunday’s Concert
for Peace without Borders organized by Colombian pop star Juanes can
help us to reflect on this a bit, and also to act to change United
States restrictions on travel by Americans to Cuba.
Being the music lover that I am, before anything else I have to
comment: What a spectacular display it was! Well over a million people
– half of Havana’s population according to Cuban press sources – filled
the Plaza of the Revolution to see performances by Cuban artists living
on the island and abroad whose work most epitomizes their homeland,
such as Los Van Van, Orishas, Silvio Rodríguez, Yerba Buena, Carlos
Varela and Amaury Pérez. Hats off to saxophonist and music director
extraordinaire Juan Manuel Ceruto and an amazing ensemble that
accompanied many of the Cubans, as well as their foreign guests such as
Luis Aute, Miguel Bosé, Olga Tañón and Danny Rivera, among others. It
was great to see Cuban musicianship on display again here in the United
States, if only via an online video stream provided by Univisión,
something unheard of not so long ago.
CubaGO! is three weeks away . . . and that means it's time to kick our
organizing efforts into high gear. We've created some tools that we
hope will help you create activities for September 30th, the national
call-in day to End the Travel Ban on Cuba. Below is a link to our new
tool that helps create an event, publicize it and share it with others.
Are you going to be part of this action?
On September 3, 2009, President Obama made some of his campaignpromises official, related to the Cuban-American community; the Officeof Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the Department of the Treasuryreleased new Cuba regulations. This was a step forward for theCuban-American community, but what about the rest of U.S citizens - you and me? These changes in OFAC regulations are welcomed, but are long past due. They don’t mean that we can stop urging a change for a just policy for everyone.
Check out the CNN video about the Juanes “Peace Without Borders” concert scheduled in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución for September 20 here and embedded below.
Colombian pop star Juanes has planned his second “Peace without borders” concert for September 20th -- UN International Peace Day -- in Havana, Cuba. Cuban stars Silvio Rodriguez and salsa band, Los Van Van, along with Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañon have also committed and there is speculation that some U.S. artists have been invited too. Juanes has formally requested to sing in the Plaza of the Revolution between the statue to José Martí and the grand image of Che Guevara. The show will be free and open to a huge Cuban audience. Juanes’ intention is to "transcend politics,” so what’s the big deal?
We’re organizing a National Day of Action called CubaGO! Strategically-identified delegations from across the country will be coming to DC to meet with their members of Congress. But in order to really make an impact, the delegations will need back-up from you. That is why we’re encouraging you to “Call in for Cuba!
On Saturday, Cuban President Raul Castro, while addressing the Cuban parliament, again announced that his government stood ready to discuss anything with the Obama Administration.
President Castro’s statement both reaffirms his government’s commitment to the principles of the 1959 revolution and his willingness to reestablish a cordial relationship with the United States. See coverage here.
The movement is growing. The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act is gaining support in the House and the Senate. Please take a minute to support the brand new End the Travel Ban Facebook page.
We've been keeping up the pressure on Congress for months to end the travel ban on Cuba. The "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act" legislation introduced in the House and Senate this spring now has more co-sponsors than any Cuba bill in memory.
Mark your calendars! The end is in sight, but we need one more BIG PUSH to make the co-sponsor list jump.
Activist groups nation-wide continue to rally against the travel ban. The Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organization/ Pastors for Peace’s annual U.S.-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan (video) successfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with 100 tons of aid bound for Cuba. Click here to see the press release about the crossing.
Outside the Base at Guantanamo Bay last week, the US Military and Cuban Frontier Brigade worked together in basic preparation for major disasters. This is not a new collaboration, but the Obama Administration opted to make the exercise public, in contrast to the previous Bush policy of keeping it secret. According to US Marine Corps General Jack Sheehan, the preparations are yet another sign of an “Incremental process” towards more cooperation. ''We've never advertised [the exercise]… because it was very controversial,'' he said. The Administration seems to be sending yet another “trial balloon,” with this announcement, following the talks on migration last week in New York.
The two neighbors are back at the negotiating table after a six year hiatus. Since President Obama pledged to relax travel restrictions for Cuban Americans in April, we’ve all been looking for signs of a next step from the administration.
These migration talks show a renewed willingness to engage in focused
discussions – one issue at a time. This limited engagement with Cuba
is part of a clear signal coming from Washington that diplomacy will
again be central to America’s foreign policy. And as Hillary Clinton
delivers a major speech this week at the Council on Foreign Relations
to outline her global priorities, Latin America has to be high on the
list.
The travel ban unilaterally disarms the United States, casting aside one of the greatest sources of American influence – unfettered contact with American society.The American approach toward the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, enshrined in the Helsinki accords and supported by Administrations of both parties, was to
encourage unrestricted travel so that we could share our ideas, values and culture. Download the PDF to read more of the information packet.
U.S.-Cuba relations have been at a standstill for many years, but momentum for change is developing.
On March 11th, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control authorized a general license for family travel to Cuba and
expanded the definition of “family”, repealing the 2004 family travel
restrictions put into place by the Bush administration.
The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations eliminated funding enforcement of the
2004 regulations on family travel, as well as for “cash-in-advance”
provision that applies to all commercial sales of agricultural and
medical supplies to Cuba. The omnibus also authorizes travel, on a
general license, for individuals marketing or selling agricultural and
medical goods to the island.
This is the first Cuba legislation to hit a U.S. president’s desk in more than 8 years.
In order for the United States to play a constructive role as Cubans
determine their future, we need to engage with the people of Cuba and
the Cuban government, in a variety of ways. These might include
bilateral talks on issues of mutual concern, action to permit closer
ties between Cuban Americans and their families on the island,
unfettered agricultural trade, expanded academic exchange, greater
contact between faith communities, and unrestricted travel for all
Americans.
The information included in this congressional education packet
documents how existing restrictions on travel and trade harm the
national interests of the United States, and why reforming this policy
is consistent with our values, our economic interests and efforts to
improve the U.S. image abroad.
We encourage you to use this information to talk to your
representatives about making this important change in U.S.-Cuba
policy. The two bills called the "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act" are H.R. 874 in the House of Representatives and S. 428 in the Senate, ask
your representative to Co-Sponsor these bills today.
We're soooo close! We are within reach of changing "travel-to-Cuba" policy. Now we just need YOU to get us one more co-sponsor. Will you? There are specific members that we need; read on for details. Within the last few short weeks we've seen some promising developments in U.S.-Cuba policy coming from the White House - on travel and remittances for Cuban Americans and on some limited diplomatic re-engagement. This is good news, and we hope to see these changes continue in a positive direction.
But, as you probably know, only an act of Congress can actually end the full travel ban. That's why we are asking you to contact your members of Congress AGAIN today using a new advocacy tool that presents you with either a letter thanking your member of Congress for cosponsoring the "Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act"; or, if they have not yet cosponsored the bill, the letter urges them to do so.
Contact all your members of Congress at once here!
The State Department on Friday, May 22, took an incremental, yet
important step toward reestablishing a limited diplomatic relationship
with Cuba similar to what existed under the Clinton Administration --
high-level migration meetings between Havana and Washington. See AP
article here.
This week Cuba made big headlines around the country, not once but
twice. On Monday the White House announced the lifting of restrictions
on travel and remittances for Cuban Americans; see our alert here.
The White House issued a statement today that lifted all restrictions
on transactions related to the travel and remittances of family members
to Cuba. Check our blog for details and comments. Here is the White
House fact sheet on today's action.
President Obama today returned the right of Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba whenever they want and to support their families with remittances in whatever amount. We applaud that action. And we urge the President to do more. Watch this video of Silvia Wilhelm, founder and executive director of Puentes Cubanos, asking for “travel for all” in addition to “travel for some.”
If your senators have not co-sponsored this legislation, see our action alert for information on how to contact them and urge them to support this bill.
*For the Library of Congress co-sponsor list, please visit www.thomas.gov , and search by bill number.
If your member of congress has not co-sponsored this legislation, see our action alertfor information about how to contact him/her and urge him/her to support this bill.
*For the Library of Congress co-sponsor list, please visit www.thomas.gov , and search by bill number.
Check out this Friday afternoon article with news from the White House on President Obama’s apparent intention to announce an end to all restrictions on Cuban-American family travel and remittances to Cuba . . . prior to the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago in mid-April. Momentum is building. The world will notice. The next move is congressional action on “travel for all.” here.
On April 2, Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), along with Representatives Farr (D-CA), McGovern (D-MA), Emerson (R-MO), DeLauro (D-CT), Chaffetz (new member, R-UT), Lee (D-CA), Berry (D-AR), and Edwards (D-MD), plus important leaders within the Cuban-American community, participated in a block-buster press conference announcing HR 874, the House companion to the Senate travel bill, S 428. The Cuban Americans hit it out of the park, leaving no doubt about the support for "travel for all" from the Cuban-American community. We wish you could have been there.
On Tuesday, March 31 at noon, Senators Dorgan (D-ND), Enzi (R-WY), and Dodd (D-CT), along
with representatives of the American Farm Bureau, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
and Human Rights Watch, publicly announced S. 428, "The Freedom to Travel to
Cuba Act" in a press conference so well attended that reporters were standing in
the halls. LAWG was there capturing the excitement of the moment and
representing all of you.
At a Capitol Hill news conference scheduled for tomorrow, a wide array of senators and interest groups -- including Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chairman Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.); Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.); Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Human Rights Watch -- will rally around a potentially historic bill to lift the travel ban.
On March 11, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) posted a new regulation, plus a guidance letter outlining how the provisions in the FY 09 omnibus spending bill would be implemented, as related to Cuban-American family travel and ag sales.
On March 11, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) posted a new regulation, plus a guidance letter outlining how the provisions in the FY 09 omnibus spending bill would be implemented, as related to Cuban-American family travel and ag sales. See the pdf containing the regulation and the guidance letter here.
This is big news for all of us that have been fighting for change in Cuba policy; we should celebrate, and our job is not completed.
For Immediate Release
March 10, 2009
Groups Call for Cuba Policy Changes “Important Steps Forward,” Urges Obama to Honor Campaign Pledge
Washington, DC –
**Please be aware that information found here may be out of date. Check availability and room rates with the hotel.**
Budget hotels
Kalorama Guest House (B&B) (202) 667-6369
1854 Mintwood Pl NW (Adams Morgan)
Starting at $130 (shared bathroom), $145 (with private bathroom). Suite (queen size bed, cable TV, private bathroom, two rooms) starting at $175/night. $10 each additional person per room. Breakfast included.
Kalorama Guest House, Woodley Park (202) 328-0860
2700 Cathedral Ave NW (2 blocks from Woodley Park Metro)
$130-155 and up
Offer AAA, discounts for certain government agencies – ask when booking room.
Gallery Inn Hotel (202) 234-8788
1850 Florida Avenue NW.
Woodley Park Guest House (202) 667-0218
2647 Woodley Rd NW (less than a block from Woodley Park Metro)
$90 (plus tax) until the end of February, $100-110 (plus tax) starting March 1st
The Inn at Dupont Circle at T Street.
1620 T St NW
Washington Dc 20009
202-467-6777
Nice rooms and very friendly staff/ Both private and shared bathroom arrangements. Prices vary but can be as low as $120
-OJO! There hotel has both North and South locations. Make sure you are clear about where you make a reservation.
William Penn House (202) 543-5560
515 East Capital St, SE (6 blocks from Metro)
$ 40 /night/person
Run by the American Friends Service Committee, hostel set-up. Breakfast provided.
Embassy Inn (202) 234-7800
1627 16th Street NW (short walk from WOLA)
$109-69 (Embassy, Windsor Inns owned by same people; mediocre, small, but respectable)
Discounts available: AAA, AARP, B&B clubs
Windsor Inn (202) 667-0300
1842 16th Street NW (short walk from WOLA)
$99 February –March 1st, $149-69 March – late May
Some rooms larger than Embassy
Windsor Park Hotel (202) 483-7700
2116 Kalorama Rd.
$179 (entirely separate from Windsor Inn, similar in quality to Embassy/Windsor Inns)
Brickskeller Inn (202) 293-1885
1523 22nd St. NW (right around the corner from WOLA)
$75 (shared bathrooms)
Andrew's House (202) 483-0799
2708 Ontario Rd NW (Adams Morgan)
Rooms rented out in private home
Bed and Breakfasts (general)
http://www.washingtonlodging.worldweb.com/BedBreakfasts/index.html
Call this number so they can check availability for you at a number of different b&b’s: Toll Free: (877) 893-3233
Chester Arthur House B&B at Logan’s Circle
13th and P Street
Based on double-occupancy: $125-55/night, off-season; $145-205/night, in-season (from web)
Toll free Reservation number: (877) 893-3233
http://www.bbonline.com/dc/logancircle/specials.html
Hotel Lombardy (202) 828-2600
2119 Pennsylvania Ave NW (2 blocks from Farragut West Metro)
Starting at $359
Tommie Parker is sales manager will give discounted rates (direct: 587-2175). NEW MANAGER
Expensive but charming rooms in renovated historic building.
www.hotellombardy.com
This company also has 4 other boutique hotels that can be good values because they are lesser known (including the State Plaza--least expensive). They are linked to from the Lombardy’s website. Washington Plaza Hotel is the largest of these.
Carlyle Suites (202) 234-3200
1731 New Hampshire Ave NW (couple blocks from WOLA)
http://www.carlylesuites.com/
Beacon Hotel & Corporate Quarters (202) 296-2100 (general hotel number)
1615 Rhode Island Avenue NW
$149-329 (regular rates, subject to change. Lower on weekend)
(202) 787-1792
Club Quarters in Washington, DC
839 17th Street, NW (At 17th & I Streets)
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 463-6400
Fax: (202) 463-6401
The Main Hall at Trinity College
125 Michigan Ave, NE
Washington DC 20017
Room: Social Hall
Once you enter the Main Hall, please proceed straight ahead towards the Auditorium. Make a left in front of the main staircase and proceed down the hall. The Social Hall will be directly in front of you, at the end of the hallway.
Trinity is close to the Brookland/CUA Metro station on the red line. Trinity provides shuttle service between the Brookland/CUA Metro station and the Main Hall, the location of Cuba Consultation.
The Trinity shuttle runs every 30 min. from 8 AM - 12 AM. Last pick up from Metro @ 11:50 PM; see detailed schedule here:
To catch the shuttle at the Brookland/CUA station, exit to the right. At the top of the escalator, turn left and walk to the end of the iron railing and wait for the shuttle with the Trinity logo on the side.
By Automobile
From the Northwest: From I-495 (the Washington Beltway), take Exit 31B, Georgia Avenue South. Proceed approximately six miles, crossing the Maryland/DC line. Turn left on Irving Street (the three preceding streets are Morton, Lamont, and Kenyon). Cross Warder Street and at the next intersection, turn right onto Park Place. In one block bear left onto Michigan Avenue. Continue on Michigan, crossing First, North Capital, and Franklin Streets. Trinity College is on the right.
From the Northeast: From I-95 take I-495 South. Follow 495 to exit 19B, Route 50 West/Washington. Follow Route 50 West approximately five and one half miles to South Dakota Avenue and turn right onto South Dakota. Follow South Dakota one and one half miles to Monroe Street. On the right corner is a sign posted for Trinity and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Turn left onto Monroe and follow Monroe, staying in left lane, approximately two miles until Monroe dead ends into Michigan Avenue. Turn left onto Michigan and proceed a short distance passing the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on your right. Cross Irving Street, and Trinity College will be on the left.
From the South: From I-495 (the Washington Beltway), take Exit 4B, 395 North, Washington. Continue on 395 North. Watch the exit signs. After Exit 10, get in the right-hand lanes (after Exit 11, the road divides and the left-hand lanes funnel onto Route 1). Continue on 395 North. Watch the exit signs carefully but do not take any of them, as you want to remain on 395. Continue on 395 North (follow signs) until it ends at New York Avenue. Turn right onto New York Avenue. Go through 2 traffic lights, take first right-hand turn after 2nd light (this is M Street). Continue on M Street for a short distance; at 2nd traffic light, make a left-hand turn onto North Capitol Street. Proceed approximately 1 mile; at 8th traffic light make a right-hand turn onto Michigan Avenue. Trinity College is on the right after first traffic light.
Parking:
You must obtain a visitor’s pass in order to park at Trinity College. Please see the Security Officer located at the circle drive in front of the Main Hall at 125 Michigan Ave, NE. He will issue your parking pass and direct you to a lot.
Senator Richard Lugar's (R-IN) office released a staff trip
report to the Committee on Foreign Relations today, see it here . In Senator
Lugar's Dear Colleague prefacing the report, the senator states:
Please consider these documents general resources for those interested in United States Treasury Department travel licenses to Cuba. These are not legal documents, but rather informational documents. For those interested in licensed travel to Cuba please consider speaking with a legal representative and the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) before traveling.
S. 428, "Travel for All," is the Senate companion to H.R. 874 introduced two
weeks ago by Representatives Delahunt (D-MA) and Flake (R-AZ). The Senate bill,
introduced by Senator Dorgan (D-ND) with Senators Enzi (R-WY), Lugar (R-IN),
and Dodd (D-CT), calls for the lifting of travel restrictions so ALL Americans
can travel freely to Cuba.
Senator Dorgan (D-ND) along with Sen. Lugar (R-IN), Sen. Enzi (R-WY), and Sen. Dodd (D-CT) introduced legislation in the Senate on Thursday (Feb. 12) calling for the lifting of travel restrictions so ALL Americans can travel freely to Cuba.
To register for Cuba Consultation 2009, "Travel for All" to Cuba please fill out the word document below and follow the directions on the form to return the registration form.
Joint Letter to President Obama on 01-21-09 (PDF) American Farm Bureau Federation, American Meat Institute, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Chicken Council, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Milk Producers Federation, National Oilseed Processors Association, National Sorghum Producers, National Turkey Federation, North American Export Grain Association, North American Millers Association, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, USA Rice Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Rice Producers Association, U.S. Wheat Associates
American
Farm Bureau Federation, American Society of Travel Agents, Business
Roundtable, Coalition for Employment through Exports, Emergency
Committee for American Trade, Grocery Manufacturers Association,
National Foreign Trade Council, National Retail Federation,
Organization for International Investment, U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
U.S. Council for International Relations, USA *Engage
Church
World Service, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The Episcopal
Church, Church of the Brethren Witness, Evangelical Lutheran Church in
the Americas, Lutheran World Relief, National Council of Churches USA,
Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc,
United Church of Christ, The Methodist Church General Board of Church
and Society
AASCU,
American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Fund for
Reconciliation and Development, Latin America Working Group, Latin
American Studies Association, NAFSA: Association of International
Educators, National Foreign Trade Council, Operation USA, Social
Service Research Council, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee,
USA*Engage, WOLA
It takes persistence and patience to work to change U.S. policy toward
Cuba – 50 years of it! And we aren’t there yet. But we probably have
the best chance that we’ve had for decades. We don’t intend to fail.
We’d like to count on you to join us in this effort, and then join us
in the international celebration that will occur when the travel ban is
lifted.
Big news! We now have legislation in the House of Representatives
calling for an end to the travel ban on Cuba for all Americans. "Travel
for All" instead of "Travel for None" or even "Travel for Some." Take
action now: ask your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 874.
Have you met or spoken with your Congressperson or his/her staff about Cuba recently? If you have report to us about the meeting so we can keep a record.
Below find a pdf and a word document of our standard questionnaire. You can e-mail, fax, or mail it to us.
Most U.S. citizens are legally prohibited from traveling to Cuba.
Restrictions on travel by Americans to Cuba are based on legislation
granting the President statutory authority to regulate spending by
persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction in a foreign country during a
national emergency or time of war. Cuba is the only country in the
world to which the United States government bans travel by its citizens.
This is an exciting time to be active in our
country's decision making process. There are certainly no shortage of
opportunities to get involved in responding to our new President's call to
"…pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking
America.
This is an exciting time to be active in our country's decision-making process. There are certainly no shortage of opportunities to get involved in responding to our new President's call to "…pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."
We need your support to turn these opportunities for remaking America's Cuba policy into real change. As you probably know, to end the travel ban on Cuba, Congress must act. This is something they were hesitant to do under the veto threats of the Bush Administration. Now, change has come to Washington, DC, and our allies in Congress are ready to act. Legislation calling for an end to the travel ban for ALL Americans will pass in Congress if we demand it.
We are reaching out to you because we need your representative to support this legislation.
DELIVER A PACKET: Our partners at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) will be sending every member of the 111th Congress (including the 58 new members of the House) a Cuba Policy Packet (a folder of educational materials about why the United States must end the travel ban to Cuba for all Americans). We want YOU to deliver this packet personally to your congressperson!
JOIN A DELEGATION: We need to show our policymakers that their constituents care about this issue. Are you willing to join a group of your community members in a meeting with your congressional office in the local district office? Your representative will be home for a district work week in February; and we would like to organize, with you and a few other constituents, a meeting with him or her in the district office. February 16 - 20 is the Congressional District Work Week. We need to move fast to get on your representative's schedule. Contact us today to participate in and help organize a visit to your congressperson's office! Call or e-mail Angelica Salazar:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or (202)797-2171. Or write back to us at LAWG, and we'll connect you with Angelica, the organizer of this project.
CALL ANGELICA: We are geared up for a truly grassroots campaign to end the travel ban. We are pouring our efforts and resources into helping you establish a relationship with your member of Congress on Cuba issues. Call or e-mail Angelica today:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 202-797-2171. LAWG, WOLA, and other Cuba policy partners are working around the clock here in Washington, but it will be you and your community that will make the difference in gaining the congressional support we need to change U.S. policy.
We look forward to hearing from you! Our work remaking America starts now!
Call or e-mail Angelica Salazar:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or (202)797-2171 Call your member of Congress: (202)224-3121. E-mail your member of Congress: www.house.gov
Since 1995,
there have been more than a dozen "Cuba Consultations," events at
which a broad spectrum of individuals and groups who support change in
U.S. policy toward Cuba have gathered together to share points of view
and get a sense of the challenges and opportunities that confront us in
the Congress, with the administration, and in public opinion.
The consultation is an opportunity for people who care about Cuba and
changing U.S. policy to come together to discuss an issue which unites
all sectors - travel. From academics to farmers, Cuban Americans to
religious organizations, and from travel service providers to
performing artists to curious citizens, everyone is suffering under
U.S. restrictions.
In recent years, the Cuba Consultation focused attention on the
situation in the U.S. Congress, and the possibilities of legislative
action. This year we are presented with our best opportunity in years
to press for a transformational shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba: the
greatest possible reduction in U.S. economic sanctions, including the
travel restrictions that block citizen contact, and more diplomatic
engagement with Cuba.
A
key part of this will be efforts to achieve bold action by the Congress
to end the ban on travel to Cuba for all Americans. In the House of
Representatives, legislation to end the travel ban has already been
introduced, HR 874. At the consultation, we will talk about how to work
with and move the Congress on the travel issue.
A new administration has come to Washington, and a new environment
exists. A review of U.S.-Cuba policy is currently underway in the
administration, and anticipation is high that the President will issue
an executive order in the coming weeks. Ending
the ban on travel for Cuban Americans is a good first step, but only a
first step. Our message must be loud and clear. Congress must act to
allow travel for all. This is an exciting and strategic moment to make our voices heard.
We encourage you to register for the consultation (see below) and begin now making appointments with your members of Congress for Friday, March 6.
Congress is in session that day and will be holding votes. Your members
will be in Washington, so ask for a moment of their time, in addition
to meeting with their Foreign Policy Aides. We can help you with phone
numbers, staff names, etc., if you ask. We will also provide a "How to"
session, with coffee and bagels, the morning of the 6th for those who
want hints on how to conduct a meeting with staff and members.
(As you plan your travel, you might keep in mind that in previous years
the Cuban Interests Section has sometimes hosted its own event during
or right after the consultation. We anticipate that they might host a
reception on the evening of the 6th after the close of our
consultation. This has not yet been confirmed, but we want you to be
aware of this possibility when you make your travel plans.)
The Cuba Consultation 2009 registration fee is a modest $40 per person,
to help us cover lunch, materials, venue, etc. There is a space on the
registration form for your credit card information, or you may write a
check to LAWG to attach to your snail mail registration or to give us
upon arrival at the consultation.
If you have any further questions, contact Paulo Gusmao/LAWG, 202.546.7010,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
; or Lilia Lopez/WOLA, 202.797.2171,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Cuba Consultation will take place at Trinity University in Washington DC. The address is 125 Michigan Ave, NE, Washington DC 20017. For a map and directions click here.
*Geoff Thale, Lilia Lopez, Angelica Salazar, and Ashley Morse - Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) *Mavis Anderson and Paulo Gusmao - Latin America Working Group (LAWG) *Wayne Smith - Center for International Policy (CIP)
*Joe Perez - Cuba Travel Services *Bob Guild - Marazul Charters, Inc. *Silvia Wilhelm - Puentes Cubanos *Sandra Levinson - Center for Cuban Studies *Randy Poindexter - FOCUS (Friends of Cuba) *Kirsten Moller - Global Exchange *Sarah Stephens and Collin Laverty - Center for Democracy in the Americas *Delvis Fernandez and Luis Rumbaut - Cuban American Alliance Education Fund (CAAEF) *Melinda St. Louis - Witness for Peace *Jan Strout - U.S. Women & Cuba Collaboration *Cindy Domingo - Women's International League for Peace and Freedom *Lisa Valanti - US-CUBA Sister Cities Association *John McAuliff - Fund for Reconciliation and Development *Jim Vondracek, Gary Cozette, Marilyn McKenna, and Danielle Wegman - Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN) *Louis Head - U.S.-Cuba Cultural Exchange *Marty Shupack - Church World Service *Ricardo Gonzalez - Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association *Bob Schwartz - Disarm Education Fund *Sandra Edhlund - Wisconsin Coalition to Normalize Relations with Cuba *Tony Zamora and Elena Freyre - ForNorm *Marjorie Cohn and Art Heitzer - National Lawyer's Guild
November 4th marked an historical change for the United States of America. President-elect Barack Obama represents CHANGE on many levels, and many people expect CHANGE in a great many things: the economy, two wars, a planet in peril, etc . . . you know the list by now.
Love, Loss, and Longing: The Impact of U.S. Travel Policies on Cuban-American Families (see the publication here) continues to raise awareness about the ban on travel to Cuba. Between March and November, 2008, LAWG Education Fund and the Washington Office on Latin America conducted educational sessions on ending the travel ban and showcased our publication in states as widespread as Virginia, Wisconsin, Massachusetts (two cities), Ohio (three cities), and California (four cities). We appeared on two cable television networks and several radio programs. The book is an extraordinary education and advocacy tool that connects your heart with your understanding of the false rationale behind the travel ban.
We are hopeful that, under a new administration, compassion will win out and the ban on family travel and remittances will quickly end. Then our task remains to re-claim the right of all Americans to travel freely to Cuba to engage with our Cuban neighbors. Help us in this task by signing up for Cuba policy e-mail alerts.
Senator Dodd's (D-CT) amendment calling for a temporary lifting of restrictions in response to damages caused by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav in August 2008.
To facilitate the provision of humanitarian relief to Cuba.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 18, 2008
Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. BERMAN, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr.
MCGOVERN, Mr. LAHOOD, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. PAYNE, Mr.
PAUL, Mr. FARR, Ms. HARMAN, and Mr. MEEKS of New York) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To facilitate the provision of humanitarian relief to Cuba.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Humanitarian Relief to Cuba Act'.
(b) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Hurricane Gustav, which struck Cuba on September 1,
2008, was the worst hurricane to hit the island of Cuba in over 50
years. The Category Four storm displaced over 400,000 Cubans and
damaged or destroyed 130,000 homes and caused severe damage to
infrastructure.
(2) Hurricane Ike, which made landfall on Cuba on
September 7, 2008, forced the evacuation of over 2,500,000 Cubans,
damaged an additional 100,000 structures, and damaged local
infrastructure.
(3) The number of Cubans left homeless is expected to
reach 100,000, and the total economic losses of Hurricanes Gustav and
Ike are expected to reach upwards of $10,000,000,000, with serious
damage done to the island's agricultural industry.
(4) In the wake of past natural disasters, the United
States eased restrictions to mobilize the generous spirit of many
thousands of Americans by allowing humanitarian aid originating from
the United States to be transported directly to Cuba to the benefit of
the Cuban people.
(5) Allowing the people of the United States to assist
the Cuban people in reclaiming their lives and livelihoods following a
major natural disaster just 90 miles from the United States is an
important aspect of United States national security and defense policy.
SEC. 2. EASING OF RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL TO CUBA FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS.
(a) In General-
(1) FREEDOM OF TRAVEL FOR UNITED STATES CITIZENS AND
CERTAIN OTHER PERSONS TO VISIT FAMILY MEMBERS IN CUBA- For the 180-day
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
President may not prohibit or regulate, directly or indirectly--
(A) travel to or from Cuba by United States
citizens or any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
with family currently residing in Cuba; or
(B) any of the transactions incident to such travel that are described in paragraph (2).
(2) TRANSACTIONS INCIDENT TO TRAVEL- The transactions referred to in paragraph (1) are--
(A) any transaction ordinarily incidental to travel
to or from Cuba, including the importation into Cuba or the United
States of accompanied baggage for personal or family use only;
(B) any transaction ordinarily incident to travel
to or maintenance within Cuba, including the payment of living expenses
and the acquisition of goods or services for personal and family use
only; and
(C) any transaction ordinarily incident to the
arrangement, promotion, or facilitation of scheduled and nonscheduled
travel to, from, or within Cuba, including lodging and meals in an
amount not to exceed the per diem amount authorized under chapter 57 of
title 5, United States Code.
(b) Supersedes Other Provisions- This section supersedes
any other provision of law, including section 102(h) of the Cuban
Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (22 U.S.C.
6032(h)).
(c) Effective Date- This section applies to actions taken
by the President before the date of the enactment of this Act that are
in effect on such date and to actions taken on or after such date
during the 180-day period beginning on such date of enactment.
SEC. 3. EASING RESTRICTIONS ON REMITTANCES FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS.
(a) In General- Except as provided in subsection (b), for
the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of the Treasury may not limit the amount of remittances
to Cuba that may be made by any person who is subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States, and the Secretary shall rescind, for
such 180-day period, all regulations in effect on the date of enactment
of this Act that so limit the amount of those remittances.
(b) Statutory Construction- Nothing in subsection (a) may
be construed to prohibit the prosecution or conviction of any person
committing an offense described in section 1956 of title 18, United
States Code (relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), or
section 1957 of such title (relating to engaging in monetary
transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity).
SEC. 4. EASING RESTRICTIONS ON GIFT OR RELIEF PACKAGES FOR 180 DAYS.
(a) In General- Except as provided in subsection (d), for
the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act,
the President may not limit the size, quantity or frequency, or the
carrying, transporting or shipping of personal gift items and relief
supplies (not for sale or resale) that are eligible to be shipped
through existing or new mechanisms established expressly for the
delivery of such packages. Such items and supplies may be sent to Cuba
by any person who is subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
and the President shall rescind, for such 180-day period, all
regulations in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act that so
limit such items.
(b) Personal Gift Items- For purposes of this section, the
term `personal gift items' includes goods intended to improve the daily
life of the Cuban people, including clothing, medication, foodstuffs,
personal hygiene items, and other daily necessities.
(c) Relief Supplies- For the purposes of this section, the
term `relief supplies' means any item intended to provide temporary or
permanent comfort or shelter to hurricane victims in Cuba, or intended
to facilitate repairs to personal dwellings in Cuba damaged during the
2008 hurricane season.
(d) Statutory Construction- Nothing in subsection (a) may
be construed to prohibit the prosecution or conviction of any person
committing an offense described in section 1956 of title 18, United
States Code (relating to the laundering of monetary instruments), or
section 1957 of such title (relating to engaging in monetary
transactions in property derived from specific unlawful activity).
Hurricane Gustav tore through the Gulf of Mexico earlier in the month and took a particularly devastating toll on Cuba. The storm leveled houses and flooded streets throughout the western provinces of Pinar del Rio and the Isla de Juventud leaving in its path an estimated 500,000 residents without shelter or access to food or water.
After years without any positive change in U.S. policy toward Cuba, the
House Appropriations Committee recently demonstrated support for alleviating
the inhumane restrictions on trade and travel to the island.
On June 25th, the committee passed the
Financial Services Appropriations bill with a provision that will ease
travel for Cuban Americans who want to travel to the island to visit family.
The bill also increases agricultural trade between the United States and
Cuba.
The provision was presented by the chairman
of the Financial Service subcommittee Congressman Jose Serrano (D-NY),
and is a small step in the right direction of ending travel restrictions
for all Americans. The specific provisions include:
Allowing Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba to visit
family once a year rather than once every three years.
Expanding the definition of family to include
aunts, uncles, first cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Tweaking the “cash-in-advance” regulations
to allow agricultural goods to leave U.S. ports for Cuba prior to receiving
Cuba’s cash payment; title is transferred after the cash is received
in the seller’s account.
Typically, the next step after committee
approval would be for the bill to move to the House floor for amendments
and a final vote. However, because this is an election year, it is difficult
to determine whether the legislation will even make it this far. Democrats
in Congress are likely to hold up current appropriations bills in favor
of re-writing them in early 2009 under a new (and potentially Democratic)
administration. However, if the bill does come to the House floor, we
have to be ready to defend the Cuba provisions. Losing this vote would
send the wrong message to a new administration about the level of support
in Congress for changing this failed policy.
The Senate has also taken significant steps toward abandoning the inhumane
restrictions on trade and travel to Cuba. On July 9, the Senate Financial
Services and General Government Appropriations subcommittee unanimously
approved a spending bill that included Cuba related provisions similar
to those introduced by Mr. Serrano in the House. The provisions included
in the Senate bill would restore the rights of Cuban Americans to the
level they were at before 2004, when President Bush’s “Commission
for Assistance for a Free Cuba” tightened restrictions. This means
that Cuban Americans could now be able travel to the island once a year
rather than once every three years and that the 14-day travel limit would
be lifted. The bill also includes a provision to increase the spending
limit for Americans traveling to Cuba from $50 to $170.
In both the House and the Senate, opponents
of Cuban-American family travel have said they are going to challenge
the Cuba provisions. Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Congressman
Boyd (D-FL) both expressed their opposition to the Cuba language in the
bill during the full House Appropriations committee meeting. Senator Brownback
(R-KS) also expressed opposition to the Cuba provisions in a recent Congressional
Quarterly article, announcing that he “may provide a different option”
at the full Senate committee markup.
Ultimately, if this bill moves to the floor
in either chamber, the hard-liners in Congress will continue to mischaracterize
any provisions that support family travel as condoning the Castro regime.
It will be essential for activists to remain vigilant in order to ensure
that this legislation is seen for what it can truly be, a first step toward
the full restoration of rights for all Americans and their families to
travel to Cuba.
A House subcommittee (Financial Services) on June 17th added language to the appropriations bill that would ease travel restrictions for Cuban Americans wishing to visit family and would facilitate agricultural sales to Cuba. The result of the subcommittee meeting is an appropriations bill that allows for Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba once per year and expands the definition of family to include cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
We want to begin by thanking you for your generous contributions to our Cuba policy work; we are within a few hundred dollars of reaching our goal! With these kind donations, we are hard at work setting up book parties and travel trainings around the country. If you’d like to be part of this cross-country training effort, be sure to contact us so we can work with you to add your group and location to the schedule.
Since August 2006, when Fidel Castro transferred power to his younger brother Raul, talk of “transition” has once again been at the forefront of discussions on U.S.-Cuba policy. For some, “transition” signifies a constitutional succession in Cuba; but for others, including the Bush Administration, true “transition” could only come with a regime change.
Despite these differences, one thing is certain: the power transfer in
Cuba is official. With Raul Castro as the head of state in Cuba, the
United States has an unprecedented opportunity to reconsider its policy
toward the island. A new diplomatic strategy should take into account
not only the shortcomings of current policy, but also the historical
experiences of other “transitional” countries around the world.
The republics of the former Soviet Union provide us with some
information about one model of transition. Today, we must urge our
policy-makers to examine these lessons learned—both successes and
failures—and apply them to a new model for U.S. policy toward Cuba, in
order to ensure policy goals include engagement and respect for
sovereignty.
Policy toward Cuba throughout the Cold War was geared toward isolation.
The rationale for implementing a comprehensive economic embargo was
dictated by the fear that the Cuban socioeconomic model would appeal to
other Latin American countries. In light of the geopolitical
environment of the Cold War, the fear of Cuba’s influence in the
region, at least in part, explained a policy aimed at isolating the
island from the United States, Latin America, and eventually the rest
of the world.
At the end of the Cold War, geopolitics changed. The 1960 U.S.-Cuba
policy is now even more outdated and irrelevant. The fear of Cuba’s
model spilling over into other countries can hardly be termed a
threat—though its example of standing up to the United States still
appeals to developing nations. The rhetoric used to justify Cuba policy
changed from fear of communism to support for democracy and human
rights and thus the conditions demanded by Washington in order to
normalize relations with Cuba also changed. From the 1960s and into the
late 1980s, the key security issues outlined by the United States were
Cuban troops in Africa, exporting revolution to Latin America, and
Cuban military security ties with the Soviet Union. The resolution of
these issues was considered a precondition for any alteration in
existing policy. Today, these security concerns are irrelevant. Cuban
troops are no longer active in Africa, Cuba is no longer engaged
militarily in Latin America, and the Soviet Union no longer exists.
Still the embargo stands.
In an October 2007 speech at the U.S. State Department, President Bush
discussed his conditions for engagement with Cuba: “As long as the
regime maintains its monopoly over the political and economic life of
the Cuban people, the United States will keep the embargo in place.” He
also stated: “To further that effort [to] break the hold of the regime,
the United States is prepared to take new measures right now to help
the Cuban people directly -- but only if the Cuban regime, the ruling
class, gets out of the way.” The word “freedom” has become the central
concept in the latest policy justification. President Bush further
articulated his understanding of freedom as freedom of speech, freedom
of association, freedom of the press, freedom to form political
parties, freedom to change the government through periodic multiparty
elections, and the release of all political prisoners.
Yet, these firm words from the president are only the latest in a
series of demands for Cuba. The United States has demonstrated an
uncanny ability to alter the conditions to which Cuba must adhere in
order to gain favor and normalize relations. All the while, the United
States has pressed forward with a policy of isolation. The future of
relations seems likely to follow this same trend, even now that Fidel
has resigned. Raul Castro is perceived by the administration as the
same as his brother and statements by embargo supporters indicate that
economic reforms Raul might institute would not alter their stance. In
a panel discussion at the American Enterprise Institute for Public
Policy Research on January 15th, 2008, Nilda Pedrosa from the office of
Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) expressed her absolute disapproval of even
considering economic engagement with Cuba without first seeing total
political reform. Kristen Madison, of the U.S. Department of State,
echoed Ms. Pedrosa’s sentiments by stating that the United States
should only consider economic engagement with Cuba when it is possible
to influence the island politically. President Bush’s October 2007
speech on Cuba policy flatly stated that no change will occur in Cuba
policy, regardless of a change in power on the island or any economic
reforms.
If the United States were truly interested in promoting democracy,
freedom, and economic prosperity in Cuba--and not converting into
policy a vendetta held by the hard-line faction of the Cuban-American
community in south Florida as a pay-back for election favors—it would
ease or lift the embargo and remove travel restrictions and allow the
free exchange of ideas and people to occur.
The apparently seamless transfer of power from Fidel to Raul
demonstrates the resilience of the Cuban system. This resilience flies
in the face of U.S. policy, again proving the ineffectiveness of the
half-century strategy for dealing with the island. Continued
non-engagement is as detrimental to U.S. interests in Cuba today as it
is detrimental to Cuban civil society—in whatever future Cuba chooses
for itself.
We hope that you have been keeping up with the news on Cuba (one great source is through signing up for weekly news reviews from CubaCentral.com ), as Cuba has been getting a lot of ink in the past couple of weeks. We last sent you an update on February 19 with the news about Fidel's resignation. Since then, as you certainly know, Cuba has a new President, the Bush Administration has reacted predictably, and Congress is making noise about re-visiting U.S.-Cuba policy-with an eye to revising it. House Letter, Senate Letter
Statements made by policy makers on Fidel Castro's resignation.
See a letter sent by members of Congress to Secretary Rice calling for a review of U.S. policy toward Cuba on occasion of the resignation of Fidel Castro here (PDF).
By now you have seen the news - Fidel Castro announced early this morning that he will not seek or accept the position of President or Commander and Chief of Cuba. His announcement comes less then a week before Cuba's National Assembly is scheduled to meet to vote for the next President of the island.
Happy New Year! Things are starting to get back into swing in DC after the holidays - the House came back into session this week, the Senate comes back next week, and, of course, the presidential election primaries are on everyone's mind.
For the first time in a presidential election, U.S. policy toward Cuba
has held national prominence. Two presidential candidates, Senators
Barrack Obama (D-IL) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) have challenged the Bush
Administration's stance on Cuba.
In an August 21st op-ed published in the Miami Herald, Senator Obama
called for an end to restrictions on family travel and remittances to
the island stating, "the (Bush) administration's decision to restrict
the ability of Cuban Americans to visit and send money to their
relatives in Cuba... is both a humanitarian and a strategic issue... It
has also made them [Cubans] more dependent on the Castro regime and
isolated them from the transformative message carried there by Cuban
Americans."
Senator Dodd went even further, stating in a September 9th Univision
debate, "I would begin to unravel that embargo. I would lift travel
restrictions, so Cuban Americans can go visit their families. I would
be lifting the restrictions on remissions." Fellow candidate, former
Senator John Edwards (D-NC), called for an end to travel restrictions
but stopped short of calling for a change in remittance caps.
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) echoed Senator Dodd's call for a
complete normalization of relations between the two countries and
Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) has also vowed to repeal Bush's
restrictions on Cuban-American family travel and remittances.
Not all candidates support change in U.S.-Cuba policy, however.
Frontrunner, Senator Hillary Clinton, favors maintaining the status quo
toward Cuba and keeping the embargo and other restrictions in place.
The Republican frontrunners, former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA),
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), former Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) and
former Mayor of New York City Rudolph Giuliani (R-NY), have all voiced
similar views to those of Senator Clinton and the Bush Administration.
Presidential candidates have always looked at the Cuban-American
community as a monolithic entity, whose hard-line conservative base
needed to be appealed to take Florida during the election. A recent
poll that measures Cuban-American sentiment in Miami-Dade County in
Florida, however, shows a growing rift on Cuba policy within the
Cuban-American community. The Florida International University Cuba
Poll is carried out every couple years by the Institute for Public
Opinion Research and the Cuban Research Institute of Florida
International University to assess Cuban-American opinion on U.S.-Cuba
policy and their views of the island. In the 2007 poll, researchers
found that 65 percent of Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade County support
starting a dialogue with Cuba. This is up from 55.6 percent in the 2004
Cuba Poll. Support for the U.S. embargo has also declined, from 66
percent in 2004 to 57.5 percent in 2007. Furthermore, 64 percent of the
respondents would like to return to the 2003 policies governing travel
and remittances.
Cuban-Americans are not the only ones with changing views toward
U.S.-Cuba policy. In a 2007 Associated Press (AP) poll, 62 percent of
Americans polled favored establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Based on these numbers, it would seem that the Republican presidential
candidates might not want to rely on archaic Cuba policies as a means
of winning votes – even in the key primary state of Florida.
Our alert today has three parts - we want to announce
the publication of our Cuban-American family photo exhibit into a moving
photo essay book, Love, Loss and Longing: the Impact of U.S. Travel Policy
on Cuban-American Families; we will give an update on what we can expect
(or not expect) from Congress for the remainder of the year; and we will
comment on President Bush's Cuba-policy speech last Wednesday.
Love, Loss and Longing
LAWGEF and our partners at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
are pleased to announce that Love, Loss and Longing: the Impact
of U.S. Travel Policy on Cuban-American Families has been
published and is currently being distributed all over the country. If
you haven't seen the book yet, take a look at it here The book is the published
version of the photo exhibit many of you saw on tour in your area. The
book includes the photos, testimonies, and expanded text about the effect
of U.S. travel policy on all Americans.
The book has been delivered to every member of Congress;
it would be great if you would call your members' offices (U.S.
Capitol switchboard is 202.224.3121) to ask if they have seen it and encourage
them to pay attention to it. This is another chance for you to
send a message to your member of Congress that you care about Cuba policy.
If their copy has been lost (or thrown away, as unfortunately often
happens when congressional interns are opening the mail and have to assess
the importance of each piece!), we would be happy to hand-deliver
another copy to the appropriate staff person in your member of Congress'
office - with your compliments. The offices just need to let you or us
know that they need a replacement. We have also sent the book to our Cuba
media contacts, and we are in the process of having the book be distributed
through local progressive bookstores and on Amazon.com.
We need your help distributing the book!
Do you have friends, family, co-workers, or distribution lists that should
know about our book? Let us know and we'll be happy to send you promotional
information to forward to your network. Do you know of bookstores in your
area that should sell the book? Let us know so we can send review copies
to them.
What's going on in Congress? (Be prepared;
this is a discouraging section.)
In June, the House voted to increase the mismanaged "democracy assistance"
funds supposedly intended to assist Cuban dissidents. Reps. Albio Sires
(D-NJ) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) attached an amendment to the Foreign
Operations Appropriations Bill in June to increase the funding from the
$9 million the committee recommended to the $45 million the Bush Administration
requested. Regrettably, the amendment passed 254-170.
Similar amendments were offered in the Senate to the
Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) offered
three negative amendments to the bill - one to increase the funding for
Radio and TV Marti, one to increase the funding to the $45 million dollar
level the Bush Administration requested for "democracy assistance"
and one to significantly increase the funding for fumigations in Colombia.
In final negotiations, Senator Martinez offered to withdraw two of the
negative amendments in exchange for increasing the "democracy assistance"
funding. (No surprise, as a
GAO report from November 2006 shows a significant portion of this
money stays with his constituents in Florida.)
And in late July, the House of Representatives voted
185-245 to defeat an amendment by Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY), a
long-time advocate for changing Cuba policy, to facilitate the sales of
U.S. farm products to the island. Unfortunately, many of our usual allies
voted against this amendment. See our e-alert
of July 26, 2007 for some analysis of this vote. These two losses
have left many of our congressional allies frustrated and hesitant to
offer other legislation that might also result in a loss. Add this on
top of Congress' priorities of the war in Iraq, important votes on children's
health care, and trying to prevent another war in Iran, and it is highly
unlikely that we will see more congressional action on the Cuba issue
for the remainder of the year. And, actually, we don't want to push for
a vote before we are certain that it would be a winning
vote.
So . . . we need to gear up to pave the way for action
in 2008 - with educational activities and messages, calling to account
our members of Congress who have abandoned this effort or reversed their
vote (there are about 46 non-freshman democrats and republicans who used
to be solidly with us but voted against the Rangel amendment), agitating
for change (we're working with partner organizations on a plan), and adding
to the support we have to be able to demonstrate that we CAN win this
issue on the floor of the House and Senate.
One example of how we can agitate
We have been working with our partners at the Center for Democracy in
the Americas, the Center for International Policy, and the Washington
Office on Latin America to put together a Presidential Candidate
Scorecard to rank presidential candidates' overall positions
on Cuba. Just to be clear, the scorecard is NOT an endorsement
of any candidate, but it is a valuable resource for evaluating
candidates' positions. We expect to have the scorecard completed and a
copy posted on our website within the next week. We will send you a quick
note letting you know it's up. We hope you will use it to inform and educate
in your state.
We will share the scorecard with members of the press,
and we encourage you to review the scorecard and thank candidates that
have positions that favor engagement and travel and question those who
support the status quo. We will have more suggested actions when we send
it out.
On Wednesday, October 24, President Bush made a speech
at the State Department and announced several "new initiatives"
on Cuba policy. The speech called for U.S. citizens to stand with the
people of Cuba (Bush's version of "standing with" differs from
ours!) in the "time of transition" and announced a program to
license NGOs and faith-based groups to provide computer and internet access
to students, invited Cuban youth to participate in a Latin American Youth
scholarship program in the United States, and announced the creation of
a multi-billion dollar so-called "Freedom Fund for Cuba." The
President encouraged countries world wide to contribute to the fund, although
it is unclear from where the President believes the political capital
to create this fund would come, the U.S. leadership role and credibility
in the world being as diminished as it currently is. Even the allies that
President Bush mentioned in his speech - the Czech Republic, Poland and
Hungary - have consistently voted against the U.S. embargo in the United
Nations.
Speaking of the United Nations, the General Assembly
of the United Nations voted 184-4 October 30, in the 16th consecutive
loss by the United States, to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba. You can read
more in
this New York Times story.
President Bush's speech demonstrates how isolated the
United States has become in efforts to have a voice in the debate on Cuba's
emerging transition. If the President intends that the United States play
any part (read: appropriate, non-interventionist) in Cuba's future, he
would be wise to pursue a policy of engagement - as the majority of U.S.
citizens wish - rather than continuing the failed policy of isolation
and hostility.
Most dangerously, the President seemed to call for upheaval
in Cuba - certainly not what the policy of the United States should be
in any country. He said that "stability" was not the U.S. goal,
rather "freedom."
The speech came at a time when the President needs a
distraction from the declining situation in Iraq, sagging political support
in Florida, and the United Nations vote condemning the United States'
embargo on Cuba.
The LAWG urges the administration and the Congress to
become relevant and begin an immediate process of engagement, dialogue
and policy change. Opening up trade and unrestricted travel to Cuba would
be a good beginning.
Well, that's it for now. If you've read to the end,
we hope you aren't discouraged. Your energy is needed even more now to
keep the issue of Cuba policy before our legislators and our presidential
candidates. As opportunities arise, we'll be coming back to you with requests
for action and advocacy. Right now, please help us publicize and distribute
the Love, Loss, and Longing book with policy makers and the public; help
others to understand that Cuba policy is one of the keys to improving
U.S. foreign policy in Latin America; be encouraged that change will come.
Love, Loss and Longing: the Impact of U.S. Travel Policy on Cuban-American Families is the publication of a joint LAWGEF and WOLA photo exhibit highlighting the cruel effect of the travel ban on Cuban Americans.
The photo exhibit was shown in over 20 cities throughout
the United States and the stories of family separation U.S. policy
caused touched countless Americans. Drs. Jeanne Lemkau and David
Strug have interviewed and chronicled the heart-breaking stories
of 20 Cuban Americans who have been unable to see their families.
The photographs are the work of two talented Cuban-American photographers,
Nestor Hernandez, Jr. and Juan E. Gonzalez Lopez.
What are the real family values when we keep families
away from each other,? Mari, Washington, DC
In 2004, the Bush Administration issued a new set of
harsh regulations on travel to Cuba, upping the ante significantly. While
many Americans were impacted by this, the Cuban-American community has
been affected most cruelly. Cuban Americans are restricted from traveling
to the island more than once every three years to see their families,
and family has been redefined in a very limiting way to include only:
parents, siblings, children and grandparents. Aunts, uncles, cousins,
nieces, nephews, and god-parents are totally off limits. There are no
exceptions to these restrictions, not even for family emergencies or deaths.
For the last three years, the Latin America Working Group Education Fund
(LAWGEF) has worked closely with the Cuban-American community, the Washington
Office on Latin America (WOLA), and other allies here in Washington, DC,
to decry this violation of the basic right to visit one’s family.
One of our most ambitious projects to fight these restrictions
was a photo exhibit, Love, Loss and Longing: the Impact of U.S.-Travel
Policy on Cuban-American Families, which has been on national tour throughout
2006 and 2007. LAWGEF and WOLA have shown the exhibit in over 20 venues
across the United States and have brought the message of needed change
to thousands of Americans. Seeing how the exhibit’s photographs
and accompanying testimonials touched viewers and opened their eyes to
this cruel U.S.-policy’s impact, we have expanded the exhibit’s
reach by publishing the exhibit in book form. You may view the book here
Why a photo exhibit?
Marisela’s father relied on her frequent visits and care packages
to help fight his steadily-progressing Alzheimer’s. In 2004 the
changed restrictions on travel to the island prohibited her from traveling
to the island and reduced the amount and types of items she could send
to support him. Shortly thereafter, Marisela’s father passed away;
because she had been to see him during the previous three years, she was
unable to attend his funeral. Now she asks: “I came to this country
in pursuit of freedom! How is that…I can’t [visit] my father’s
grave?” Mario, Sr., moved to the United States in 1992 and left
behind his visually-impaired son, Mario, Jr. In the following years Mario,
Sr., visited his son multiple times a year to help with maintenance around
the house and to provide emotional support. Mario, Jr., recently had a
son; and Mario, Sr., is now a grandfather. In 2004 when the restrictions
on family travel changed, Mario, Sr., was prohibited from traveling to
the island more than once every three years - no exceptions allowed. Now
Mario, Sr., cannot help his son or be a part of his grandson’s childhood.
He asks: “What does it mean to be a good father?” These are
two of countless heartbreaking stories of family separation the LAWGEF
has heard over the past three years.
Nestor Sr., 74
Upholsterer
Hyattsville, MD/Havana
"Who will
take my ashes to Cuba?"
Nestor Sr. left Cuba more than 50 years ago hoping for
a better life in the United States. He was 20. He settled in Washington,
married and raised six children. Nestor Jr., photographer for this exhibit,
is his oldest son. Vicente, who is pictured here, is his youngest.
Nestor Jr, was 18 when he traveled to Cuba and arrived
unannounced on his grandmother’s doorstep in Los Pinos. With the
embrace of his father’s relatives, he felt he had “come home.”
Between 1978 and 2003 he made over 20 trips to Cuba, visiting family,
exploring far corners of the island with his camera and organizing workshops
and exhibitions with North American and Cuban photographers.
Vicente traveled to Los Pinos with his father and discovered
that his Cuban family was larger than his family at home. Playing with
cousins on the streets of Havana he felt safer than on the streets of
Washington. After his trip he started asking more about his father’s
homeland and began referring to himself as Cuban.
Under the restrictions neither Nestor Jr. nor Vicente
can return to Cuba – ever. Their grandmother is deceased and their
cousins aren’t eligible for visits as “family.”
Nestor Sr. wonders, “When I die who will take
my ashes to Cuba if my sons can’t go?”
“¿Quién
llevará mis cenizas a Cuba?”
Nestor, 74
Tapicero
Hyattsville, MD/Habana
Nestor Senior dejó Cuba hace más de 50
años para una vida mejor en los Estados Unidos. Tenía 20
años. Radicó en Washington, se casó y crió
a seis hijos. Nestor Junior, fotógrafo para esta exhibición,
es su hijo mayor. Vicente quien aparece en esta fotografía es el
más joven.
Nestor Junior tenía 18 años cuando viajó
a Cuba y llegó sin anunciarse a la puerta de la casa de su abuela
en Los Pinos. Con el abrazo de los parientes del lado paterno se sintió
que había “llegado a casa.” Entre 1978 y 2003 el hizo
más de 20 viajes a Cuba, visitando a su familia, explorando los
rincones de la isla con su cámara y organizando talleres y exhibiciones
con fotógrafos estadounidenses y cubanos.
Vicente viajo a Los Pinos con su padre y descubrió
que su familia en Cuba era más grande que su familia en casa. Jugando
con sus primos en la calles de la Habana se sintió más seguro
que en las calles de Washington. Después de su viaje, empezó
a preguntarse más acerca de la patria de su padre y empezó
a identificarse como cubano.
Nestor Senior se pregunta, “Cuándo yo muera,
¿Quién va a llevar mis cenizas a Cuba si mis hijos no pueden
ir?”
Two years ago, Dr. Jeanne Lemkau, a clinical psychologist,
professor emerita at Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio,
and admitted Cubaphile, walked into our office to discuss a new
research project about the effect family travel restrictions have on Cuban
families. The project would be a collaboration between Jeanne and Dr.
David Strug from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work at Yeshiva University,
NYC, and would take the two to Cuba and all over the United States to
personally interview Cubans and their family members. They would use their
background as a medical professionals to assess the restrictions’
impact on family health.
The LAWGEF’s Mavis Anderson realized the potential
this study could have in the policy debate and suggested turning the research
into a nationally-touring photo exhibit that would bring the Cuban-American
stories of love and loss to Americans across the country.
Nestor, a Guiding Force
From that point forward, LAWGEF staffers Mavis Anderson
and Claire Rodriguez, along with our partners, Elsa Falkenburger and Geoff
Thale at WOLA, worked closely with Jeanne and David to shepherd the project
through production and began the daunting task of coordinating a nationwide
tour. We realized we were heading into uncharted territory when we sat
down to brainstorm with the exhibit’s photographer, Nestor Hernández,
Jr., on how to ship the exhibit from one venue to the next. Nestor, a
Cuban-American photographer in Washington, DC, was a veteran of traveling
photo tours and had exhibited his works all over the world. He became
a guiding force in the photo exhibit, and his beautiful photography inspired
us to forge ahead with the tour.
In February 2006, as Nestor was photographing the second half of the exhibit,
he fell ill and was unable to continue the project. Our work came to a
standstill as we absorbed what was happening – we were losing a
colleague-turned-friend, and one of the driving motivations behind the
exhibit. If we hadn’t been emotionally invested in the project before,
we became so then.
It was too late to delay the scheduled May opening;
we had congressional co-sponsorship and the invitations had already gone
out. Jeanne quickly contacted another Cuban-American photographer in her
hometown, Juan E. González López, who agreed to take over
for Nestor. With Nestor’s encouragement, we pressed ahead. Juan
studied Nestor’s photographs and started photographing the remaining
participants, trying to preserve Nestor’s distinct style. Shortly
before the exhibit’s opening, Nestor’s illness began to progress
rapidly; and the week before the exhibit opened on Capitol Hill, Nestor
was re-admitted to the hospital.
The day before the opening, Juan and Jeanne visited
Nestor and showed him the completed exhibit. Nestor expressed deep appreciation
to Juan for continuing the legacy of his style and seeing the project
to completion. Tragically, Nestor passed away the day after the exhibit
opened on Capitol Hill. The exhibit’s nationwide tour and the book
are dedicated to his memory. Nestor’s father, Nestor Hernández,
Sr., is featured in the exhibit; his support and Nestor’s spirit
continue to guide our work.
Touring the Nation
The day the exhibit opened on Capitol Hill was a stressful
day for our office. We wanted to make everything perfect, from assembling
the easels to display the photographs at 6:00 in the morning and then
rushing back to the office to put the whole exhibit online for press calls
and immediate access for the public. In the late afternoon, the room started
to fill, and over 150 people attended the opening reception. Congressman
Bill Delahunt (D-MA) attended and spoke about the need to change policy.
The next day the Miami Herald ran a story about the photo exhibit
opening in the broader context of the changing Cuban-American community
in Miami, FL.
Demand to show the exhibit in cities across the country
was high. Love, Loss and Longing was exhibited in: Oakland and
Sacramento, CA; Miami, FL; Chicago, IL; Bloomington, IN; Cambridge, MA;
Baltimore, MD; Minneapolis, MN; Jackson Hole, WY; Newark, NJ; New York,
NY; Yellow Springs and Dayton, OH; Devon, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh,
PA; and Arlington and Crystal City, VA.
Showing the photo exhibit in so many venues in such
a short time presented many challenges that we had not anticipated. Who
knew it would be so challenging to find a crate to ship a 200-pound photo
exhibit or that shipping companies would be so unreliable? However, the
rewards of accompanying the exhibit on its nationwide tour more than made
up for the challenges. Working with an art exhibit allowed us to partner
with people across the country with whom we never would have had the opportunity
to collaborate. We worked with art galleries, museums, local governments,
political cartoonists, churches, social-justice groups, restaurants, and
committed individuals. We loved bringing so many new faces to the Cuba-policy
debate.
Empowering the exhibit participants to share their stories
of separation was a moving experience. Many of the Cuban Americans, especially
those living in Miami, have faced vocal criticism for their position on
travel; and their bravery in coming forward with the pain this policy
causes their family was inspiring. The strength of their stories made
the exhibit more moving and motivated us more than we thought possible.
In Jackson Hole, WY, the photo exhibit host’s son, a young high
school student whose father is Cuban American, saw the exhibit and was
moved to tears by the stories portrayed in the exhibit. He said, “These
people are just like our family.” His words inspired his older brother
to accompany their father to Washington, DC, for a Cuban-American lobby
day to speak in favor of ending the restrictions on travel for all Americans.
The day after the photo exhibit showed in Miami, an
article ran in the Miami Herald about the changing nature of
the Cuba debate in Miami. Love, Loss and Longing was exhibited
at Tinta y Café, a new café on Miami’s Calle Ocho,
which the owner opened to “give a voice to the silent majority of
people in Miami who are frustrated with the failures of U.S. Cuba policy.”
(1) Five years ago the café wouldn’t
have been permitted to open, much less display a photo exhibit calling
for policy change.
Wrapping it Up
The LAWGEF has seen how effective an advocacy tool
the photo exhibit has been for our work and is considering touring another
exhibit. The LAWGEF’s Colombia program hopes to bring a photo exhibit
about the impact of the war in Colombia to the United States next year.
The exhibit will tour the country visiting churches, peace organizations,
and art galleries.
Finally, after a great year and a half, the time has
come to retire the Love, Loss and Longing photo exhibit. We are
pleased to announce that one copy of the exhibit will be on permanent
display at the Dayton International Peace Museum. The museum provides
a space to promote peace and nonviolent solutions to conflict. You can
learn more about the museum and their initiatives at: http://www.daytonpeacemuseum.org.
The other copy of the exhibit will be divided and shared with the exhibit
participants.
Arlene, a photo exhibit participant from Chantilly,
VA, says, “Family is more powerful than any law.” We know
she is right—working together over the past year-and-a-half, we
became like a family. We visited the photo exhibit subjects in their homes,
in the hospital, and in their places of work. We have seen what families
can do together. And we have witnessed the pain that a misguided policy
can cause.
To order your copy of the Love, Loss and Longing book
today click here
In addition, we are grateful to our faithful supporters
and the many individuals who personally and generously donated to this
project. We would especially like to thank the Christopher Reynolds Foundation,
the Arca Foundation, Oxfam America, and the Bruderhof Foundation for their
support of this project.
1. Corral, Oscar. “A New Forum
for Exile Discourse.” Miami Herald. 23 February 2007
Luisa, 50
Takoma Park, MD
Director of Multicultural Youth Center
Born in Cienfuegos
”Since
leaving Cuba when I was six, I can count on two hands the number of days
I have seen my two aunts who stayed behind, yet, through my mother I feel
a strong bond with them. Mother and her sisters have been the most important
influences on how I live my life.
My mother is 85 and lives in North Carolina. Two
years ago, her oldest sister died. Her other sister, Yara, still lives
in Cienfuegos, alert but fragile at 92. Recently the nephews who looked
after Yara died unexpectedly, leaving her in the care of a great niece.
Mother worries. She wants to check on her sister to see that she’s
being cared for and to touch her once more, but she is physically unable
to make the trip.
I want to go to Cuba for them; to visit my aunt as mother would
if she could, to carry messages of support and love. But under the new
restrictions only my mother has the right to travel.
One trip cannot answer all questions or alleviate the pain of
years of separation. But one trip gives consolation. It allows one to
see the true reality rather than living with the imagined one. And most
of all, it reinforces the familial relationships that form us from generation
to generation.
Mother finds comfort through prayer and
continues -- as she has for 45 years -- to write her sister a letter each
week. Yet, I know there is lost sleep, nights when she wonders; ‘Did
Yara have dinner tonight? Did they give her medicine? Is she cold?’” Take Action! Participate
in a very important LAWG Education Fund and Washington Office on Latin
America (WOLA) project. We are looking for Cuba policy activists nationwide
who may be interested in hosting a moving photo exhibit of Cuban Americans
affected by the travel ban. Nestor Hernández, Jr. (who tragically
passed away the day after the exhibit opened on Capitol Hill), a Cuban-American
professional photographer living in the DC area, and Juan-Sí González,
a Cuban-American artist living in Yellow Springs, Ohio, have photographed
20 Cuban-American families who have been unable to travel to Cuba under
the new regulations governing family travel. Social scientists, Drs. Jeanne
Lemkau and David Strug, who are studying the effects of U.S. policy on
Cuban-American families, have interviewed the photo subjects and condensed
their stories into short personal testimonials.
The travel ban allows Cuban Americans to travel to Cuba just once
every three years to visit only immediate family (no uncles/aunts, nieces/nephews,
cousins). There are no exceptions for family emergencies. This means that
many, like Luisa, are unable to care for their relatives, or regularly
visit the family members to whom they are closest. The purpose of the
photo exhibit is to bring the reality of this separation of Cuban-American
families to the attention of Congress and of the U.S. public.
The photos were unveiled on Capitol Hill on May 11th, just prior to Mother's
Day, where members of Congress, and Cuban-American family members spoke
on the travel ban’s cruel effects. On May 16th, the exhibit opened
at the Arlington Arts Center (AAC) in Arlington, VA. The photos are now
on national tour throughout the United States. Click
here to see our schedule for a venue near you.
Take Action! We continue to search for local groups to host the
exhibit in their home area. We request a $500 donation (to help us cover
shipping fees) to bring the photo exhibit to your city; and your organization
will be responsible for securing a venue (and covering any deposits or
costs for the location), doing publicity to the public and the media,
and hosting a reception for viewers and press.
Thanks to many of you who have let us know that you
have called or written your members of Congress—especially the new
members. It is much appreciated, and it is what
will make a difference in 2007. From our analysis, we believe that we
need to “win” almost 40 of the new members to our position
on Cuba. That is a big task; but with your consistent efforts, we can
do it.
If you haven’t made your calls or sent your letters
yet, PLEASE DO SO NOW. New members, especially, should
hear from you before they hear from the other side. Let’s not lose
our edge.
We need 218 votes in the House to pass legislation.
After the November elections, we calculated that we had about 182 House
members who would support an end to the travel ban on Cuba. Doing the
math, that comes out to 36 votes short. So, the new members are extremely
important.
Winning back some of the incumbent members’ votes
we lost in 2004 because of lobbying money from the right-wing U.S.-Cuba
Democracy PAC would also be very helpful. That same group is actively
recruiting new members to vote in favor of maintaining the embargo. We
can’t let them push us aside.
So just what is the political scene this year? What
do the recent elections mean for the possibilities of changing U.S.-Cuba
policy?
We are using the phrase “tempered optimism”
in describing our analysis. [Thanks to Geoff Thale of the Washington Office
on Latin America for coining that phrase; and thanks, too, to Geoff for
the brief analysis below.]
On the “optimism” side:
1. The elections reflected a new mood of skepticism
in the public about Iraq, and about the conduct of U.S. foreign policy
overall. This opens opportunities for positive change for us, as the public
is more open to critiques on U.S.-Cuba policy.
2. The elections resulted in important changes in the
leadership of the Congress. Three years ago, there was a functioning Cuba
Working Group in the House and the Senate; and we were winning favorable
Cuba votes in the House with 250-plus votes. Our problem wasn’t
a lack of votes on our side; our problem was the Republican leadership,
which used its influence and its control of parliamentary procedure to
remove Cuba provisions before the final legislation went to the President
for signing. That entrenched Republican leadership has lost its majority
power, and our prospects for keeping Cuba provisions in the final version
of bills has gone way up.
3. The elections led to changes in committee leadership,
along with overall House leadership, and that’s really important.
Members who support changing U.S. policy toward Cuba will control important
committees and subcommittees. The final committee assignments won’t
be known until sometime in January, but some of the leadership positions
are almost certain. Click
here to see a few positions that will be helpful to us.
Summary: we have a new mood in the general public
on foreign policy; obstructionists have been moved out of leadership in
the Congress; members of Congress interested in changing Cuba policy are
in key positions. We have reason to be optimistic.
But, our optimism has to be “tempered”:
1. While the Congress has changed, the Presidency has
not. President Bush is not going to change Cuba policy, and he will threaten
to veto any pro-engagement initiatives that Congress approves.
2. While the old obstructionist congressional leadership
has been removed (or at least taken down a notch), and we may be able
to keep Cuba provisions in legislation, we still have to win votes in
both the House and Senate. While we won these votes resoundingly three
years ago, we have not won them in the last two years. But more importantly,
we lost the votes of most of the new members of Congress elected in 2004.
There were 38 new members of the House in that election, and only eight
of them voted with us in 2005 and 2006.
In fact, we start 2007 with only 182 House members who
have a record of voting consistently to change Cuba policy. Our optimism
should be tempered because to win in the House we need 218 votes. We need
to keep all 182 votes and win over nearly 40 of the new members or those
whose votes we lost in 2005 and 2006. There are, depending upon some still
unsettled races, between 54 and 58 new members. We need to win over the
vast majority of them.
3. We still face some difficulties with committee leadership.
If we have allies in Rangel, Dodd, Baucus, etc., we also have Representative
Tom Lantos (D-CA) as chair of the House International Relations Committee.
While he has voted with us consistently on travel, he is not particularly
sympathetic to changing Cuba policy overall; and the Republican ranking
member may be Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who may have
some influence over him. We need to nurture Rep. Lantos regarding a positive
Cuba policy. And we likely have Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) as chair
of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee of the House International Relations
Committee. He has never cast a positive vote on Cuba policy. If you are
Rep. Engel’s constituent (part of the Bronx, West Nyack, Mt. Vernon
in New York), we desperately need your help in converting him. And we
have a new Cuban American from New Jersey in the House, Representative-elect
Albio Sires, who will likely champion a hardline stance on Cuba.
In the Senate, we have Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
and Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), both Cuban Americans who support the
embargo.
4. Our optimism also has to be tempered because the
Democratic leadership of the House has its own priority agenda –
raising the minimum wage, Medicare/Medicaid reform, ethics and corruption,
Iraq, etc. – and has its eye on winning again in 2008. The leadership
may see Cuba policy as potentially controversial, or likely to hurt them
with some constituencies. Hearing from constituents like you will push
them in the right direction.
Summary: we face serious challenges in this
Congress, even as we have new opportunities. Our initial major challenge
is to reach out early to new members of Congress, especially in the House.
As we work with allies and people in the leadership on positive Cuba policy
initiatives, none of this will matter if we don’t have the votes
to win. Those votes depend on constituents and activists writing, calling,
and visiting new members of Congress in the next weeks and months.
So, please make those calls and set up those meetings.
Retreat from Reason: U.S.-Cuban Academic Relations and the Bush Administration, written by an international team of U.S. and Cuban scholars, examines the history of and regulations on academic, scientific, and cultural exchange between the United States and Cuba.
On June 14, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to ease
restrictions on agricultural sales to Cuba. Two other amendments, one
which would have eased restrictions on educational travel and one which
would have ended the embargo, failed to pass. A fourth amendment to protect
religious travel to Cuba was withdrawn following the debate.
The amendment regarding agricultural sales to Cuba was introduced by Rep.
Jerry Moran (R-KS). Passed by voice vote, the amendment would undo tightened
trade restrictions put in place by the Treasury Department last year.
The current restrictions require Cuba to pay for agricultural products
in cash, prior to the shipment to Havana. Opponents of the amendment argued
that the “cash in advance” rule was necessary to ensure that
U.S. farmers get paid, but in reality the restrictions have reduced sales
by 22 percent. Congressman Moran spoke in defense of his amendment saying,
“We clearly can reach the conclusion that unilateral sanctions by
the United States are only harmful to our own agriculture sector, to our
own farmers.”
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced an amendment which would protect the
status of religious travel to Cuba which, though currently allowed, is
increasingly being threatened and narrowed by the administration. Speaking
in favor of the amendment, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) argued, “Now
they are preparing even more restrictions that will discriminate among
the many religious organizations on the island and pick and choose who
it is okay to break bread with in faith and fellowship. They will take
it upon themselves the right to say what constitutes a church and who
is a legitimate person of faith. The United States of America does not
and must not take such actions against communities of faith.” The
amendment was withdrawn following the debate, but sponsors of the amendment
and religious organizations are currently in contact with the Department
of State to protest and encourage reversal of the new restrictions.
The amendment to restrict the use of funds to enforce the full economic
embargo was introduced by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY). Though the amendment
failed by a vote of 183-245, several members of Congress who have consistently
opposed similar amendments in the past, voted in favor.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the final amendment, which would restrict
funds to enforce the newest restrictions on educational travel. The 2004
restrictions limit educational exchanges to a minimum of 10 weeks and
a maximum of one year, and require that students travel to Cuba through
their home university. As a result, nearly 90 percent of university study
abroad programs to Cuba have been cancelled. Speaking for the amendment,
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) recalled, “Throughout the Cold War, American
students studied in the Soviet Union. Many of them went on to become diplomats,
scholars and policymakers who used the knowledge they gained to contribute
to the development and implementation of U.S. foreign policy […]
There is no reason to treat study in Cuba differently.” Opponents
of the bill, led by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), repeated a broad opposition
to the Castro regime, but barely addressed the issue of educational exchange.
Concluding the debate, Congresswoman Lee said, “Our young people
are hopeful for the possibilities of a new world free of all the politics
that we have heard today. So why don’t we give them a chance to
participate?” The Lee amendment failed by a vote of 187-236.
All four amendments were attached to the Treasury and Transportation Appropriations
Bill for 2007. Although similar versions of the amendments have been introduced
and passed in previous years, they have been consistently removed in conference
by the Republican leadership. The White House issued a statement on the
morning of the votes which reiterated their commitment to veto the bill
if it contained language to weaken the embargo.
Similar amendments introduced in previous years have passed and, until
2004, continued to gain votes; however, since 2005, anti-embargo amendments
have lost support. Many representatives changed their votes after receiving
campaign contributions from the US-Cuba Democracy PAC. The PAC, an anti-Casto,
pro-embargo organization primarily funded by Cuban Americans in Florida,
has given money to members of Congress and candidates across the country.
(Click
here for more information on 2004 contributions and the impact upon
votes by members of Congress.) As of late March 2006, the US-Cuba Democracy
PAC has already contributed $347,424 to federal candidates for the 2006
elections; many of the representatives have switched to a position that
does not favor engagement with Cuba, a position that their constituents
may not support. U.S. citizens have the right to expect that their members
of Congress will cast votes that are in accord with their constituents’
views, rather than are influenced by big-money, out-of-state lobbyists.
”Since
leaving Cuba when I was six, I can count on two hands the number of days
I have seen my two aunts who stayed behind, yet, through my mother I feel
a strong bond with them. Mother and her sisters have been the most important
influences on how I live my life.
