CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE NORMALIZATION OF US-CUBA RELATIONS

September 2, 2019 Cuba Si

Countown to the International Conference

Dear Friends,

In 2019 the Trump White House and State Department has escalated political belligerency, economic sanctions, and military threats against Cuba.

Cruise ship travel to Cuba from the US has been ended, as has educational travel to Cuba under the “People-to-People” license category. Meanwhile it has become extremely difficult for Cubans to get visas to enter the US for any reason.
Title III of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act has been implemented, opening the floodgates for frivolous lawsuits by current US citizens regarding property nationalized by Cuba, in accordance with Cuban and international law, after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959-60. These property claims were all settled by the Cuban state with the rest of the world in the 1960s — Washington alone refused to settle. The policy of the US government was instead to seek the violent overthrow of the Cuban revolutionary government.
The Trump Administration, with bipartisan support, promoted a failed military coup in Venezuela. The Trump team then tried to blame Cuba for their own debacle. Washington also aims to increase economic pressure on Cuba by ending the extensive Venezuela-Cuba trade links. Washington has threatened to seize Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba on the open seas. All of this under the cover of sanctimony and two-faced demagogy about “democracy” and “human rights.”

An effective, sustained, coordinated counter-campaign against all these measures is urgently needed -- especially inside the United States and Canada.

Washington’s escalating attacks on Cuba have seen parallel negative developments in Canada-Cuba relations. The closing of Canada's visa office in Havana has led to unreasonable delays and significant financial obstacles for those Cubans seeking to travel to Canada. It continues to cause significant damage to business, cultural, scientific, and sporting relations. This development represents a serious departure from the relations which Cuba and Canada have enjoyed, especially given their uninterrupted diplomatic relations since 1945. Opposition to these stances of the Trudeau-Freeland government in the Hemisphere – including the important political support given by Ottawa to Trump’s attempted military coup and intervention against Venezuela – have mounted inside Canada. Cuba solidarity and anti-intervention forces across Canada and Quebec join in this Call and united organizing effort.

Therefore, in this moment of new threats and attacks, we call on you to join with the broad national and international forces that defend Cuba’s right to self-determination and unconditionally oppose the US economic, commercial, financial, and travel sanctions – the blockade.

As the 2020 US Presidential, Congressional, State, and local elections approach, together let’s plan united actions and campaigns to end this historic injustice!

The below signatories are issuing this Call for a International Conference for the Normalization of US-Cuba relations over the weekend of
March 21-22, 2020
at

Fordham School of Law
150 W 62nd St
New York City

Having the International Cuba Conference in New York City, the seat of the United Nations General Assembly, will ensure the presence of a significant number of Cuban guests and authentic representatives.

VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITES AT:
www.CubaSiNYNJCoalition.org
www.us-cubanormalization.org

email: info@us-cubanormalization.org

ENDORSE THE CALL

Initial Signatories for Call:

Akubundu Amazu, Central Administration Committee Secretary, All-African People's Revolutionary Party | Albert A. Fox, Jr., President/Founder, Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation | Alberto Jones, President, Caribbean American Children Foundation | Alexander Koskinas, Treasurer, Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba | Alicia Jrapko, National Network on Cuba (NNOC) Co-Chair | Alison Bodine, Fire This Time, Movement for Social Justice, Vancouver | Andrés Gomez, | Annette Ensley, National Conference of Black Lawyers | Anthony Gronowicz, Gronowicz NY Peace Council | Antonio Maceo Brigade and Coalición Alianza Martiana | Arn Kawano, Attorney, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, National Lawyers Guild, NNOC | Arnold August, Journalist, Table de Concertation de Solidaridad, Quebec-Cuba | Azza Rojbi, Friends of Cuba Against the US Blockade, Vancouver, Canada | Bahman Azad, Executive Seceraty, U.S. Peace Council | Banbose Shango, National Network on Cuba (NNOC) Co-Chair | Ben F. Jones, Artist & Activist | Benjamin Ramos, Coordinator, ProLibertad Freedom Campaign | Bill Camp, CEO of the Sacramento, CA Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Retired | Bob Guild, Marazul Tours,* RESPECT | Bob Schwartz, Vice President, Global Health Partners | Ben F. Jones, Artist & Activist | Beverly Burke, Secretary, Board of Directors ProximityCuba | Bill Montross, | Bill Sacks, Venceremos Brigade, Workers World Party | Carlos Monteagudo, Founder and CEO SolarNation | Carolina Cositore-Sitrin, Member Raging Grannies | Catherine Murphy, Founder The Literacy Project | César Omar Sánchez, Graphic Artist & Activist | Charlotte Kates, International coordinator Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network | Cheryl LaBash, National Network on Cuba (NNOC) Co-Chair | Chuck Kaufman, Alliance for Global Justice | Cindy Domingo, Chair, US Women and Cuba Collaboration | Cleve Andrew Pulley, Anti-Vietnam War soldier, Ft Jackson 8 DC Metro Coalition in Solidarity with the Cuban Revolution | Clever Banganayi,Friends of Cuba Society (South Africa) | Cynthia Roberts, Cubamistad | Dale Mitchell | Dan Furman, Musician | Danny Glover, Actor and Activist | Darien De Lu President, WILPF US Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section | David Maynard, former Communist elected public servant Hillsborough County, Florida | Diane Stradling Delegation Coordinator, Witness for Peace | Don Rojas, Director of Communications and International Relations Institute of the Black World | Elena Freyre, President, Foundation for Normalization of US/Cuba Relations (FORNORM) | Erin Feely-Nahem, LMSW, Cuba Solidarity New York | Dr. E. Martin Schotz, Peace Task Force Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution | Frank Velgara, Call to Action on Puerto Rico | Gail Walker, National Network on Cuba (NNOC) Co-Chair, IFCO/Pastors for Peace | Gilberto Villa, President, Casa de Las Américas | | Gretel Marante, Foreigh Affair Cuban Women Federation | Howard Ehrman, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Chicago | Howie Hawkins, Candidate for Green Party presidential nomination, Green Party | Ike Nahem, Organizer, 1st and 2nd National Cuba Conferences | Iraida H. López, Professor, Ramapo College of New Jersey | Isaac Saney, Canadian Network on Cuba | Jaime Veve,Transport Workers Union Local 100 NYC (ret.) | James E. Campbell, National Co-chair, Emeritus Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, CCDS | James Early, Assistant Secretary for Education and Public Service Smithsonian Institution, Retired | James Randall, Richmond DSA | Jason Corley, Cuba Si Coalition, NY-NJ | Jeff Mackler, National Secretary, Socialist Action | Joe Lombardo, Co-coordinator, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) | Rev. Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches | Joan P Gibbs, Attorney at Law NY-NJ CubaSi | Jocelyn Velazquez, Jornada, Se Acabaron Las Promesas, Puerto Rico | Jodi Dean, Professor | State Senator Jim Ferlo (retired) PA | Joel Schwartz, retired CSEA president | John Ratliff, Mass. Peace Action | John Waller, Seattle Cuba Friendship Committee | Jon Flanders, Albany Cuba Solidarity, Railroad Workers United | Jose Hernandez, Puerto Rico Me Llama | Judith Zeh, Seattle Cuba Friendship Committee | Kamau Odinga Community Organizer and Activist | Ken Morgan, Ed.D, Metro DC Coalition in Solidarity with the Cuban Revolution | Kevin Zeese | Kilaika Shakur, The United States of Africa Revolutionary Party | Kwame Tyndale, PNP | Laura Ramirez, Af3irm NYC | Lee Robinson, President, African Awareness Association Inc. | Lee Schlenker, Regional Organizer, Witness for Peace New England | Leni Villagomez Reeves, M.D., WILPF Cuba and the Bolivarian Alliance Committee | Luci Murphy, ONE DC Black Workers Center Chorus | Fr. Luis Barrios, Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice | Luis Matos, Director, World Organization for the right of the people to Healthcare Inc | Lydia Curtis, Educator Mabel Leon | Malcolm Sacks, Co-Coordinator, Venceremos Brigade | Mandisa L Snodey, Administration, All African Peoples Revolutionary Party | Margaret Flowers | Margaret Gilpin, LCSW, US-Cuba Health Exchange (former President), Producer, Cuba In Focus, WBAI Radio | Maria Davis, Cubamistad, Bloomington, Indiana | Mark Friedman, Organizer, US Delegation to MarCuba, Cubambiente International Environmental Conferences | Mary-Alice Waters, Socialist Workers Party | Mary Ann Jones, Southern Oregon Friends of Cuba | Marty Goodman, Former TWU Local 100 Executive Board Member, retired Socialist Action | Mavis Anderson | Merriam Ansara,, Former Director Common Ground Education & Travel | Michael Bentley, Chair, Public Information Committee, Plowshare Peace and Social Justice Center | Michael Carrick, Retired Member UFCW Local 227, Louisville, KY | Michael Gonzales Co-chair, Democratic Socialists of America- North Texas | Michael Novick, Anti-Racist Action Los Angeles | Michael (Jabari) Tidmore, Chicago Cuba Coalition | Michelle Cohen, Founder I-Dared Travels, Inc. | Michelle Ellner, Latin America Campaign Coordinator, CODEPINK | Milagros Rivera, Presidenta, Comité de Solidaridad con Cuba en Puerto Rico | Mirella Martinelli,Film Director, Moving Images | Mimut Re Ra Nuhu, Co-Chair National Network on Cuba | Medea Benjamin, CoDirector CODEPINK | Moto shakur, Black Enterprise Network | Nalda Vigezzi, National Network on Cuba (NNOC) Co-Chair | Nancy Wright, All-African People's Revolutionary Party | Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan, President, National Lawyers Guild | Nelson Larson, Chairperson, Nova Scotia Cuba Association | Negash Abdurahman, Producer, Cuba in Africa | Noam Chomsky, Scholar and Activist | Omari Musa, D.C. Metro Coalition in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution | Otis Cunningham, Chicago Cuba Coliation, NNOC | Pat Fry, CCDS | Paul Stein, Musician and Activist | Pepe Rossy, Albany Cuba Solidarity | Peter Miller, Communications Co-coordinator, The Boston-Cuba Solidarity Alliance, July26.org | Peter Seidman U.S. Hands Off Venezuela South Florida Coalition | Rachel Barr | Rachelle Faroul, Venceremos Brigade | Ramon Espinoza, The Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba | Rodrigo Gonzalez, Executive Director ProximityCuba | Dr. Rosemari Mealy, Author, Fidel and Malcolm X: Memories of a Meeting | Royce Adams, ILA Local 1291 | Sally Cattouse, CHICAGO CUBA COALITION | Sally O’Brien, Senior Producer, WBAI/Pacifica Radio, Cuba In Focus Radio Magazine | Sara Flounders, Co-Director, International Action Center | S E Anderson, CubaSí! Coalition | Sean O’Donoghue, Quebec, La Table de Concertacion | Sharon Wrobel, Board President, ProximityCuba | Shepard McDaniel, Executive Director Universal Zulu Nation - World Department Of Community Affairs | Stan Smith, organizer, Chicago ALBA Solidarity | Stephanie Sarantos, Seattle Cuba Friendship Group | Steve Eckardt, Chicago Cuba Coalition | Steve Ellner, Associate Managing Editor, Latin American Perspectives Associate Managing Editor Latin American Perspectives | Tamara Hansen, Coordinator, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity With Cuba | Teresa Walsh, Cuba Activist | Tim Craine, Secretary, Greater Hartford Coalition on Cuba | Rev. Tom Warren, United Church of Christ, North Carolina | Tom Wojcik. Strategic Organizer, West Suburban IL DSA | Tommy Nunez, NYBR | Tony Savino, Omega Fotos Visual Artist | Trajan Cainaru, Communist Party USA | Troy Jones, Jersey City Black Cyclist | Ursula Rozum, | Vanessa Ramos, President, Asociación Americana de Juristas | Victor Ramos, Visual Artist, ZULU NATION | Walter Alomar, President Organization for Culture of Hispanic Origins | | Wayne Smith, Former Chief, US Interests Section in Havana | William Camacaro, Organizer, Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle NYC |

Countown to the International Conference

ENDORSE THE CALL

Initial Signatories for Call:

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED LIST OF CONFERENCE ENDORSERS