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IFCO / Pastors for Peace
The Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba coming up in July!
We invite you to join with us in building and organizing for our 22nd Friendshipment Caravan -- and to join us on our blockade-busting journey!
This year, in the US and in Cuba, we will commemorate and lift up the life’s work of Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., the founding director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace, who passed away six months ago. Lucius' history as a leader in countless struggles for civil and human rights, racial, social and economic justice is exemplary; and for 20 years he gave prophetic and visionary leadership to our work in solidarity with Cuba and in defiance of the US blockade. With this caravan, we will humbly walk along the path where he led us, and we will pay loving tribute to him.
Join us in taking forward his struggle to completely end the immoral US blockade against Cuba.
You have probably heard that President Obama recently eased some restrictions on travel to Cuba. The new regulations make it easier for US colleges to get licenses to send students to Cuba, and for religious entities to get licenses to visit sister congregations. This is undoubtedly a small step forward in US-Cuba relations; and it highlights the President's considerable powers to improve those relations without having to get the approval of Congress. But we know that this is nowhere near enough! Years ago, President Clinton took similar steps to permit more licensed travel. In 2004, George W. Bush undid all of that; and Obama's recent measures only take us back to where we were pre-Bush.
We keep hearing Lucius’ voice reminding us that our goal is not just to make it easier for a few more groups to get licenses to travel to Cuba.
We want to see a complete end to the travel ban that prevents US citizens from freely traveling to Cuba, as we can to any other country in the world.
Our even larger goal is to work for a complete end to the US economic blockade of Cuba – a blockade that punishes the Cuban people every day, and that is being implemented just as harshly under President Obama as it was under President Bush.
So in July of this year we will once again be visiting Cuba with our hearts full of solidarity and our schoolbuses full of humanitarian aid for Cuba – WITHOUT REQUESTING A US GOVERNMENT LICENSE – as a means of directly challenging, and bringing public attention to, the travel ban and blockade.
We ask you to join us in this challenge --
* by joining the 22nd Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba or by becoming one of the thousands of people who work with us to:
* organize local public outreach events for the Caravan across the US and Canada,
* collect the humanitarian aid that we will deliver in July
* raise funds to help support the project.
In Cuba, the caravanistas will have an exciting educational and cultural program, which will focus on the achievements of young people in Cuba. We will celebrate Cuban youth and learn about their daily lives and experiences as we visit organic gardens, neighborhood projects, health centers and schools.
To obtain a caravan application form, or to volunteer to help with caravan work, write to us at cucaravan@igc.org <1> or telephone our national office 212-926-5757.
More information about the caravan, including this year’s brochure in English and Spanish, is available at www.pastorsforpeace.org <2>. You can make a donation to support the organizing of the caravan by clicking on the 'Donate Now' button on our website. You can also read more and see short video clips at www.facebook.com/pastorsforpeace <3> and www.youtube.com/pastorsforpeace <4>
Caravan Dates
July 2-16 Caravan routes through US and Canadian cities
July 17-19 Orientation program in McAllen, TX
July 20-21 Border Crossing into Mexico and travel to Tampico
July 22 Travel to Cuba
July 22-30 Cuba program
July 31 Fly to Tampico and travel back to border
Aug 1 Reverse challenge: crossing into Texas
You can join the caravan when a caravan vehicle comes through your city during the first half of July, or join us at the orientation in Texas on July 17th as we prepare to cross the US border.
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