Preceded by the monthly Cuba Stand-Out at 1:00, info here.
PLEASE REGISTER HERE!

Click/double click to enlarge. Flyer here.

And later in March come to:
     • on Sunday, March 26, Somerville Library, 2:00-4:00, the July 26th Coalition rescheduled event: “Let’s Go To Cuba: Young People’s Experiences with Solidarity Brigades!” preceded by the monthly Standout.

And come to the Feb. 28 Stand Out and Special Program at UMass/Boston

And see more on the developing calendar of collaborative March events:
     • March 15 & 16, 11:00 am-3:00 pm EST – National Call-In Day to the White House, calls to demand Cuba be removed from the list of so-called State Sponsors of Terrorism.
     • Sunday, March 26, Somerville Library, 2:00-4:00, the July 26th Coalition rescheduled event: “Let’s Go To Cuba: Young People’s Experiences with Solidarity Brigades!” preceded by the monthly Standout.

Boston Hosts NYC US-Cuba Conference
Sat., March 11, 11:00 a.m.:
Community Church of Boston — Copley Square
Sun., March 12, noon & 3:00:
Democracy Center, Harvard Sq.

NY Conference site: www.us-cubanormalizationconference.org
Boston site: july26.org/2023/02/14/nyc-conference-in-boston

Boston is holding an in-person interactive showing of major parts of the March 11-12 US-Cuba Normalization Conference being held in New York City at Fordham University. People will have the option not only of traveling to New York or participating virtually from anywhere, but joining some of us in person at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston St. at Copley Square. The opening plenary features a host of prominent Normalization leaders including Pastors for Peace and NNOC’s Gail Walker, CodePink Co-Founder Medea Benjamin, Professors William LeoGrande and August Nimitz, and speakers from the Federation of Cuban Women and the Cuban Mission to the UN. We’ll have break-out areas for all the workshops in the afternoon concurrent sessions.

We’ll be well positioned to follow-up Sunday’s final plenary dealing with a national action plan from noon-2:00. From 3:00-5:00 there will be an informal discussion with major Cuba support groups — Massachusetts Peace Action and Democratic Socialists of America/DSA-Boston as well as the Boston-Cuba Solidarity Coalition-July26.org — covering some of the calendar opportunities, issues, parameters and considerations for local area plans of action for the coming year (see draft conference action plan); individuals and members of other organizations with an interest in normalizing US-Cuba relations are welcome and encouraged to join us. Sunday’s gathering will take place at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Strong Covid protections and accessibility are principles and practices of the Democracy Center; see information about them below.*

If you’re interested in any parts of the conference in person in New York or in Boston or virtually anywhere, register at the bottom of the NYC conference web site or directly here, and watch this page for further details as the Boston program becomes more fully settled. Questions can be sent to info@july26.org.
______________________

* Democracy Center Covid policies: Masks must be worn over your nose and mouth at all times inside the Democracy Center. Our event does not require vaccination to attend but is strongly encouraged.
Accessibility information: “The Democracy Center is partially wheelchair accessible, no accessible bathroom on site. Wheelchair users are welcome to use the accessible restroom at Daedalus while we plan our improvements for bathroom accessibility. To reach that bathroom, exit the ramp and turn left on Bow St, at the next building (Daedalus) use their accessible entrance and their restroom will be on the right. More information at: democracycenter.org/accessibility. Contact info@democracycenter.org or 617 492 8855 as needed.”

Save the date & watch for more on the March 11-12 International US-Cuba Normalization Conference in NYC and the Boston-area collaborative program taking place.

click flyer and here for details

___________________________

2:00-4:00 in the Main Library (in person & virtual), preceded by the monthly Cuba Stand-Out at 1:30

Click to enlarge, click twice for larger; download flyer here.

And look for more on January 29th in Somerville: “Building Youth Friendship & Solidarity between Boston and Cuba”

An invitation from
Boston PSL, Party for Socialism and Liberation:
Fri, Jan 6, 6:30-9:30 – 194 Blue Hill Ave. Roxbury

Join us to commemorate the Haitian and Cuban Revolutions (January 1, 1804 and 1959 respectively) with food, discussion and art and culture.

These two revolutions were victories of the oppressed and inspired people around the globe. We’ll gather to learn and remember the struggles of the Haitian people against enslavement and colonization, becoming the first free Black republic, as well as affirm our support of Haiti’s continued right to self-determination. We’ll also hear from Boston organizers who recently traveled to Cuba to witness its socialist revolutionary process, which has radically transformed society, providing free housing, healthcare, jobs and education for all, despite a brutal US blockade.

Join us as we celebrate these incredible victories and express our unwavering solidarity with the people of Haiti and Cuba!

More from Calla, Sunday, Dec. 11, 11:00-noon here; Calla & other youth on Monday, Dec. 12, 8:00 pm here. Videos for Sunday here; Monday here.

US, Cuban Youth Come Together
for a Better Future

Calla Walsh, co-chair of the National Network on Cuba, attending
the US/Cuba Youth Meeting, observes local elections in Cuba.*

The featured article in the November 30th issue of Resumen-English includes the photo and caption above and covers the five-day Youth Friendship Meeting “Building Our Future Today” with a delegation of 50 from the U.S. The meeting included visits, seminars and focuses here on the wide-ranging discussions in English and Spanish at the National Botanical Garden in Havana, also covered in Juventud Rebelde/Rebellious Youth. Calla is a visible presence and quoted in another report posted on CubaNews, on the delegation visit to the one-year old Fidel Castro Center.

We’ve posted other doings by Calla, including her spring article in Multipolarista, “Abortion in Cuba vs US shows which country is truly democratic.” Calla personifies the recent outburst of youth activism and leadership in July26.org, in the development of Cuba work with Massachusetts Peace Action, Democratic Socialists of America in Boston and nationally, and with the National Network on Cuba. We look forward to the continued growth in youth involvement, activism, and leadership in US-Cuba solidarity movement. ____________________

“Observing the elections to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power was one of the most incredible parts of our program during the US-Cuba Youth Friendship Meeting,” Calla later said. She followed up with an article in Multipolarista: “US youth observe Cuba’s elections – and learn about real democracy” that’s reprinted in Resumen-English.

* Thursday, November 17, 6:30 pm — July26th.org supports and encourages participation at the rescheduled September program planned originally as part of CREW’s Climate Change Week: “At the Intersection of Climate Change: How Massachusetts Can Stand in Solidarity with Cuba” — with Jessica Fernandez Casañas, head of the Climate Change Department of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of Cuba.

* Sunday, November 27 — last-Sunday-of-the-month Boston area Stand Out is scheduled for 2:00 pm in Harvard Square, Cambridge, next to the MBTA Red Line entrance.

* Monday, November 29 — The planned in-person / hybrid public program with Helen Yaffe and Aviva Chomsky in the evening has been postponed.

Update on Rallies and UN Vote

Rallies in NYC & Somerville at Davis Square. Photos by Diane Stradling in the July26.org NY contingent, video here; and Karen Slater.

This year’s UN vote was 185-2; for more see the Resumen-English story “The World Stands with Cuba Once Again” and more in CubaNews and the AP’s “UN Votes Overwhelmingly to Condemn US Embaego of Cuba” and more in Google News.

October 30, 2:00-3:00, Davis Square, Somerville:
For Next Week’s UN Censure of the U.S. Embargo

This month’s Stand-Out supporting Cuba will take place at Davis Square in Somerville, at College and Elm, from 2:00-3:00. The July 26th Coalition supports these standouts which are part of a series of actions across the country as well as internationally, this month’s expected to be especially emphatic, including a major “We Stand with the World” rally in New York City on the 29th and a 24-hour virtual picket starting Wednesday the 2nd, in anticipation of the 30th consecutive overwhelming condemnation of the Embargo/Blockade by the UN General Assembly scheduled for November 2 and 3.

Calls for Removal of Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List

On September 22 the Somerville City Council unanimously passed an anti-blockade resolution calling on President Biden to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list that he recently reaffirmed. The resolution was introduced by At-Large City Councilor and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member Willie Burnley Jr., co-sponsored by DSA member and Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, and included input from a broad coalition including the Boston Cuba Solidarity Coalition-July 26.org and Massachusetts Peace Action. A press release is available here. The Somerville resolution is featured on the Local Campaign Update 2022 page of resolutions passed across the country.

Planning ongoing local support and this year’s UN vote action

In light of increased hostilities and sanctions by the Biden administration, two actions are currently underway, a monthly Cuba support demonstration in Boston and planning for a nationwide solidarity event to coincide with this year’s UN condemnation of the U.S. embargo blockade.

Beginning on September 25 at 2:00, July26.org is supporting and co-sponsoring a last-Sunday-of-the-month stand-out in support of Cuba at Copey Square, initiated by Mass Peace Action, along with, among others, Dorchester People for Peace, First Baptist Church of Jamaica Plain, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, and Boston Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).  More information is available here.

The date of the presentation and vote on the annual UN resolution condemning the US embargo/blockade of Cuba, introduced and overwhelmingly supported since 1992, is November 2nd and 3rd. July26.org has joined a host of organizations to support planning efforts for a major demonstration outside the UN along with solidarity protests across the country and world-wide the weekend before. This coincides with the October 30th stand-out at Copley Square. For more on this, see the edited version of the invitation to participate.