It’s Time to Normalize Relations with Cuba
Since 1990, Global Exchange has been at the forefront of a movement seeking to fully normalize U.S. relations with Cuba and end the embargo (or bloqueo, as it’s called by the Cubans) of more than 60 years. Global Exchange’s grassroots education programs, Cuba Reality Tours Program, publications, speaking tours, and campaigns have informed the debate about US-Cuba relations for more than twenty-five years.
Global Exchange has supported free interchange and cultural exchange between the U.S. and Cuba through organizing hundreds of Reality Tours and thousands of American citizens to travel legally to Cuba and by bringing Cuban cultural and political leaders here to the U.S. on education speaking tours.
While we celebrated the steps toward normalization made under the Obama Administration, the Trump reversed the progress during his term – returning Cuba to the State Terrorist list, reinstating travel restrictions, continuing economic sanctions.
The COVID-19 pandemic magnified the devastation of the U.S. blockade. In July 2020, a UN special rapporteur concluded the blockade was “obstructing humanitarian responses to help the country’s health-care system fight the COVID-19 pandemic.” Among other things, the blockade stopped medical aid and money transfers from overseas companies and humanitarian organizations, denied Cubans the ability to use Zoom, prevented the country’s purchase of ventilators, and caused a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Biden needs to end the blockade.
Now is the time for U.S. citizens to ensure that the next many years of Cuba/U.S. relations will benefit the people of both countries and be free from the Cold War ideology which clouded our mutual self interests.
Cuba and the Cuban people have suffered too long.
Our work to educate the U.S. public on the right of U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba and to build people-to-people ties through our Cuba Reality Tours Program is more important than ever.
Now is the time to join one of the upcoming Global Exchange Reality Tours to Cuba. If you are part of an educational institution, a union, a professional group or have a group of friends or family who want to travel – contact Global Exchange about arranging a custom trip.
Now is the time for U.S. citizens to ensure that the next many years of Cuba/U.S. relations will benefit the people of both countries.
We hope you’ll join our effort. Sign up for our email list to receive updates and actions you can take to support the normalization of relations with Cuba and follow up on Facebook.
