| Ambassadors of love and solidarity The Pastors for Peace ecumenical organization's 24th US-Cuba Friendship Caravan has arrived in Cuba, and participants are undertaking a variety of activities and joining July 26 celebrations commemorating the 1953 assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Garrisons. Caravan participants held an emotional tribute to Pastors for Peace founder Reverend Lucius Walker in Havana, led by Gail Walker, co-director of the organization and daughter of the deceased community leader. The group placed a floral wreath before a plaque dedicated to Walker at the Anti-imperialist Amphitheater and emphasized their commitment to continuing the struggle against the U.S. blockade of Cuba. Speakers also recalled the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's historic 'I have a dream' speech, presented August 28, 1963 and honored Cuba's national hero, José Martí. Caravan participants met with families of the Cuban Five at the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP) headquarters, including Mirta Rodríguez, Antonio Guerrero's mother, and Elizabeth Palmeiro, married to Ramón Labañino, who thanked the activists for their support. "We are deeply committed to working for the freedom of Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González and Antonio Guerrero and for their return home with René González", said Gail Walker. Tamara Hansen, coordinator of Cuba solidarity activities in Canada reported that in Vancouver, British Colombia, regular monthly demonstrations take place in front of the U.S. Consulate calling for the freedom of the Five. Actions have now been held for 92 consecutive months. She explained that the group has undertaken numerous activities to raise funds for paid announcements in The Washington Post, to disseminate information about the case of the Five in the United States. In open defiance of U.S. laws, the group of 72 activists delivered medicine, school supplies and tools to the people of Santiago de Cuba, to aid in recovery efforts underway in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Pastors for Peace caravans have arrived almost every year and on occasion, more than once a year, and on every trip have brought important material aid for specific sectors of society, including health, sports, education and construction. Coming from Canada, the United States and Mexico, as well as European countries, caravan participants will tour the island for about two weeks, intent upon remaining true to the words of Lucius Walker who often said the group's license to offer solidarity to Cuba, or any other nation, had but one name: love. |
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