November 20, 2006

November 7's elections brought change to the U.S. Congress and may have opened a window to have an impact on Cuba policy and to achieve real change. The keys to this possibility are the new members of Congress in both the House and Senate. There is a critical task to assist in moving Congress in the direction of change; we ask your immediate attention to this task!

If you are able to take only ONE action during this year, please make THIS the time you act. Here is how you can help:

• Highest Priority: If you have a new member of Congress (Senate or House) in your state/district, contact her/him before December 1. Click this link for fax and phone numbers of transition offices for all new members of Congress: http://www.lawg.org/docs/newmembers.pdf See below for a sample letter to fax or a sample conversation to have by phone.
  • Time is of the essence. The supporters of the embargo are already busy lobbying new members to get their commitments to vote to maintain the travel ban and the full embargo—claiming that this position is the majority position of the Cuban-American community. We need to make our voices heard so new members of Congress understand our view and vote our way.
• Second Priority: If you don’t have a new member of Congress in your district, it is still crucially important to make your voice heard to your incumbent representative and senators. Go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov for contact information. (If you can’t find it, call us at 202.546.7010, and we’ll look it up for you!) Even if they voted against ending the travel ban (or the full embargo) previously, the climate has changed so dramatically that your call may contribute to a positive vote by your senators/representative. Don’t give up on anyone.
• Most Effective: If you have time and energy (and we hope some of you will!), the best thing you can do is to MEET with your new member of Congress in their state/district transition offices between now and January when they begin arriving in Washington, DC. Gather a small group of people from various sectors (Cuban Americans, academics and students, farmers and businesspeople, church/religious communities, cultural institutions, activists, etc.) and schedule a face-to-face meeting. If you are able to do this, contact us; we can help with talking points, materials, etc.
• Equally Important: Tell us as soon as you have taken ANY action—a quick email to Mavis at the LAWG (Click here to e-mail Mavis) is all that is necessary (whom you contacted and by what means). And let us know what responses you receive from your members of Congress—just another quick email. We will use these results from you when we talk with allies in Congress who will be offering legislation to end the embargo and/or travel ban.

Sample letter to fax: Please personalize the letter; be brief and to-the-point. The letter can come from you personally, from an organization, or from a group of signers (probably the most effective) who represent a variety of sectors (Cuban Americans, academics and students, farmers and businesspeople, church/religious communities, cultural institutions, etc.).

Dear Representative-elect/ Senator-elect [or Dear Representative/Senator, if you are writing to an incumbent who was re-elected]:

The new make-up of the House of Representatives and Senate offers an opportunity to change U.S. policy toward Cuba, and to restore the right of all Americans to travel to Cuba, without the risk of closed-door maneuvers in conference that frustrate the will of the majority.

I am [we are] writing as a constituent [as constituents] to ask for your support to change policy toward Cuba, to end the travel ban, and to engage with Cuba rather than isolate all Cubans. Current policy is stuck in a Cold War mentality and puts south-Florida politics and electoral vote counts ahead of family values, personal freedom to travel, and humanitarian goals.

Current policy limits family reunification trips by Cuban Americans to one trip in three years, with no humanitarian exceptions. Current policy bars virtually all educational, humanitarian, and cultural exchange trips. Current policy severely restricts churches’ ability to commune with their faith partners in Cuba. Current policy makes agricultural sales to Cuba by our farmers increasingly difficult; and they are diminishing.

Before you vote on Cuba policy in the coming months, and there certainly will be such votes in both the House and Senate, I [we] urge you to listen to an increasing number of concerned citizens, industries from agriculture to energy, religious groups, and others who are looking to replace what can only be called a failed policy.

I [We] would be honored if an appointment can be scheduled to discuss this issue before the new Congress convenes.

Sincerely,

[Your Name and Address]

Sample telephone call message: Ask to leave a message for the senator- or representative-elect, or for the re-elected incumbent (for returning members, ask to speak with the foreign policy aide).

My name is XXXX; I am a constituent of Representative-elect/Senator-elect NAME [or Representative/Senator NAME if you are calling an incumbent]. The new make-up of the House of Representatives and Senate offers an opportunity to change U.S. policy toward Cuba, and to restore the right of all Americans to travel to Cuba. I am calling as your constituent to ask for MEMBER'S NAME’s support to change policy toward Cuba, to end the travel ban, and to engage with Cuba rather than isolate all Cubans. Please vote in the coming months to replace this failed policy toward Cuba. [END]

The Latin America Working Group is partnering with other national organizations on a campaign to change U.S. policy toward Cuba—in order not to miss this unique opportunity. Please be part of our campaign! You may receive versions of this “call to action” from a number of different organizations. Please act!

Things are already moving on the Cuba policy front. For more news on current developments, see this week’s (and every week’s) CubaCentral News Blast at http://cubacentral.com/.