January 1, 2023: Happy New Year from the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee
Another year of solidarity with the revolutionary people of Cuba. Please join us in 2023!
January 14, 2023: Webinar: Cuba's Family Laws: A Reflection of MLK's Vision of a New Social Order.
As part of the annual Martin Luther King celebration in Seattle, this Cuba Workshop will be sponsored by the Seattle MLK Jr. Coalition and US Women and Cuba Collaboration. You can join it on Saturday, January 14 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm PST on zoom to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Birthday:
Cuba's Family Laws webinar
January 16, 2023: Martin Luther King, Jr. Rally & March @ Garfield High School
Rally at 11am
March begins at 12:30
Come and rally and march with the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee, and help carry the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee banner.
MLK Rally and March
February 1, 2023: IFCO 2023 Friendshipment Caravan Launch Party
This will be a hybrid event to be held both live (New York City) and virtually. The Caravan is scheduled to begin on July 16, 2023. This launch party is intended to build interest and participation in the July caravan.
Launch Party registration
February 11, 2023: State Sponsors of Terrorism infographics
The Cuban government has requested that the Cuba solidarity movement in the US focus our efforts this year on getting Cuba off the SSOT (State Sponsors of Terrorism) list. Here are some infographics created by local committee member Chris Pforr for use in the local and national campaign.
February 25, 2023: Our 1st event of 2023: Saturday rally at University District Farmer's Market
Today, February 25, the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee rallied near the University District Farmer’s Market to end the U.S. Blockade of Cuba and get Cuba off the U.S. government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list. We rallied! We reached out! We handed out leaflets! We showed solidarity with our Cuban sisters and brothers!
March 11-12, 2023: International US-Cuba Normalization Conference in New York
The National Network on Cuba is pulling out all the stops to make this a large and hopefully very successful event. Special emphasis is being placed on the goal of attracting fresh blood into the Cuba solidarity movement, so organizers are doing a lot of outreach esp. trying to attract young people to attend the conference. Some local Cuba committees are organizing group watch events so that folks can gather and watch/participate in the conference together. We may try to organize a group watch event here in Seattle.
International US-Cuba Normalization Conference website
March 15 & 16, 2023: National Call-in Days to the White House
Pressure President Biden to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List (details to follow).
March 25, 2023: Rally Against the Terrorism List
The Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee rallied near the University District Farmer’s Market to lobby for taking Cuba off the U.S. government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Rallyist Brenton Brookings reports: “Another successful demonstration today! We had about 12 people, a few good conversations with passersby, no rain, and the sun even came out after a little while. And we handed out 158 leaflets!”
April 24-May 8: May Day Brigade to Cuba
The Cuba solidarity community in the U.S. is building a great deal of enthusiasm for this year’s solidarity May Day Brigade, which will be in Cuba for the annual May Day celebration. Come along and see Cuba with a great group! Application deadline is March 30, 2023.
May Day Brigade Application
April 30, 2023: Rally against the blockade of Cuba at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market!
* Help us to end the cruel and illegal U.S. government blockade against Cuba.
* Find out about our upcoming Film Showing on May 17 at Northwest Film Forum.
* Find out how to send medical aid to Cuba on the upcoming July IFCO/Pastors for peace Caravan to Cuba
* Come Join us!
* Meet at the Capitol Hill Farmers Market between Broadway & 10th Ave E, aka E Barbara Bailey Way, at 11am.
May 17: Film showing at Northwest Film Festival
We’ll be showing a film on Cuba’s campaign to confront climate change, and presenting speakers to talk about their experiences traveling to Cuba on an IFCO/Pastors for Peace caravan. We’ll be promoting the upcoming IFCO Caravan to Cuba (and you can still apply to come along.)
June 25, 2023: Seattle Pride Parade
Come march with the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee in the annual Seattle Pride Parade. It will be fun and energizing!
July 16-30, 2023: IFCO/Pastors for Peace 33rd Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba
We plan to send a Seattle delegation on this exciting solidarity caravan. We're offering a partial scholarship to qualified applicants.
For more info, e-mail IFCO:
July 30, 2023: Seattle member Stephanie attends Puentes de Amor Cuba Caravan event in Miami
August 17, 2023: Reckless Noodles dinner with our own ELAM student Arianne.
Several Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee met up for dinner at Reckless Noodles restaurant with Arianne, a medical student at ELAM (Latin American School of Medicine in Havana.) Arianne is on summer break from school and came back to Seattle to visit family and friends.
October 13, 2023: NNOC Fall Meeting
Several of us attended the National Network on Cuba’s (NNOC) Fall Meeting remotely via Zoom. The meeting included great report-backs from various U.S. events, delegations to Cuba, as well as election of two new 2024 NNOC co-chairs.
October 29, 2023: Rally to Demand an End to the U.S. Blockade of Cuba
This month’s rally was held at the Sunday Ballard Farmer’s Market (Seattle).
Nov. 1 and 2, 2023: Global Online Picket
We participated in the 24-hour Global Online Picket to End the Blockade against Cuba. This creative internet rally was timed to precede the annual United Nations General Assembly vote on the U.S. blockade of Cuba. The U.N. vote took place on November 2, and once again voted by a large margin to condemn the United States’ economic and trade embargo against Cuba. A total of 187 nations voted for the resolution put forward each year against the blockade with only the US and Israel voting against, and Ukraine abstaining.
Nov. 16, 2023: Liz Oliva Fernandez
Seattle was privileged to present an exclusive showing of two new films by acclaimed Cuban filmmaker Liz Oliva Fernandez. Liz came to Seattle and showed her films INSIDE BIDEN'S CUBA POLICY and HARDLINER ON THE HUDSON, at the Washington State Labor Council.
All Year: Campaign to Get Cuba off the State Sponsor of Terrorism List.
Along with our sister Cuba solidarity organizations around the country, a primary focus of our work this year included a multi-faceted campaign to get Cuba off the U.S. Government's State Sponsor of Terrorism List. Cuba is certainly not a state sponsor of terrorism, but the placing of Cuba on the list causes significant harm to Cuba both diplomatically and economically. We shared information and lobbied intensively to get Cuba removed from the list. The Biden Administration decided to keep Cuba on the terror list, but we’ll continue to fight to get Cuba removed. It’s absurd for Cuba to be on the Terror list!
Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee Meetings
We meet virtually, via Zoom, typically about once a month. Please contact the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee for an invitation, or for more information about our work:
E-mail:
Website: www.seattlecuba.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/seattlecubafriendship/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seattlecuba/