Regardless of creed, but united by one goal: the lifting of the blockade, the Jacksonville chapter of the U.S. Committee “Hands Off Cuba” was born, the first in Florida’s most populous city.
At a time when the United States government is intensifying its policy of economic, financial, and commercial blockade against Cuba, the community of Jacksonville, Florida, took a significant step in the fight for solidarity with the island.
The recently inaugurated chapter of the U.S. Committee “Hands Off Cuba” in this city marks a change in the perception and commitment of this territory, traditionally considered hostile to causes related to the Caribbean nation.
The inaugural event, held at the Yellow House Art Gallery, brought together activists, community members, and union representatives, who shared their experiences during the recent May Day celebrations in Havana, generating interest and curiosity, Prensa Latina reported.
According to Hakim Jihad, the group’s coordinator, this event symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter of resistance and support for Cuba in the Deep South of the United States.
“The energy in the room was electric, marked by curiosity, enthusiasm, and a deep desire to know the truth about Cuba beyond the lies of US imperialist propaganda,” he commented.
“In a state dominated by some of the harshest US anti-Cuban policies, this event demonstrated that the situation is changing,” Jihad noted.
The report highlighted concrete acts of solidarity. The delegation delivered $200,000 worth of medical aid directly to the Calixto García Hospital in Havana.
Earlier this year, the Committee helped coordinate a $517,000 container shipment, including 500,000 painkillers, in collaboration with Not Just Tourists, Pan-American Medical Group, the Los Angeles Hands Off Cuba Committee, and Global Health Partners.
Attendees also learned about the growing national movement, including significant support from the California AFL-CIO, which represents 2.3 million workers, and the International Longshoremen’s Union.
Regardless of creed, but united by one goal: the lifting of the embargo, the Jacksonville chapter of the American Hands Off Cuba Committee was born, the first in Florida’s most populous city.
The formation of a northeast Florida chapter of the U.S. Hands Off Cuba Committee is already underway, building an organized base of resistance in one of the most strategically important states for the fight against the blockade, Jihad emphasized, opining that “the room was united not only in admiration for Cuba’s resilience, but also in the determination to fight until the blockade falls.”
But this is just the beginning of a major effort to extend the initiative of the Los Angeles Hands Off Cuba Committee, founded in 2019, to the rest of the United States, said activist Brenda López from California.
“The New Orleans chapter is in the process of being formed,” commented activist Mark Friedman, highlighting that there are many people here who would like to see improved relations with Cuba and the lifting of sanctions against the island. “Our work is headed in that direction,” he added.
Friedman insisted that it is important “how we have brought young people together. Solidarity and support for Cuba need to bring them together.”
For López — a member like Friedman of the Los Angeles Committee — the Jacksonville case “comes at a time when our fundamental rights are being seriously attacked by the current administration.”
But realistically, he pointed out, this is the reality of a system that prioritizes profit over people. “And that’s where Cuba comes in; Cuba has demonstrated, nationally and internationally, a humanistic and preventative approach to fundamental rights,” he concluded.
López denounced the more than 60 years of economic, commercial, and financial blockade against the Caribbean nation and especially condemned its inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. The fight to eliminate all these coercive and hostile measures “is owed to the Cuban people, who have been resilient for so long, but also to ourselves,” he concluded.
