Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba in July

[roody]

IFCO / Pastors for Peace

The Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba coming up in July!

We invite you to join with us in building and organizing for our 22nd
Friendshipment Caravan -- and to join us on our blockade-busting journey!

This year, in the US and in Cuba, we will commemorate and lift up the life’s
work of Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., the founding director of IFCO/Pastors for
Peace, who passed away six months ago. Lucius' history as a leader in countless
struggles for civil and human rights, racial, social and economic justice is
exemplary; and for 20 years he gave prophetic and visionary leadership to our
work in solidarity with Cuba and in defiance of the US blockade. With this
caravan, we will humbly walk along the path where he led us, and we will pay
loving tribute to him.

Join us in taking forward his struggle to completely end the immoral US
blockade against Cuba.

You have probably heard that President Obama recently eased some restrictions
on travel to Cuba. The new regulations make it easier for US colleges to get
licenses to send students to Cuba, and for religious entities to get licenses to
visit sister congregations. This is undoubtedly a small step forward in US-Cuba
relations; and it highlights the President's considerable powers to improve
those relations without having to get the approval of Congress. But we know that
this is nowhere near enough! Years ago, President Clinton took similar steps to
permit more licensed travel. In 2004, George W. Bush undid all of that; and
Obama's recent measures only take us back to where we were pre-Bush.

We keep hearing Lucius’ voice reminding us that our goal is not just to make
it easier for a few more groups to get licenses to travel to Cuba.

We want to see a complete end to the travel ban that prevents US citizens from
freely traveling to Cuba, as we can to any other country in the world.

Our even larger goal is to work for a complete end to the US economic blockade
of Cuba – a blockade that punishes the Cuban people every day, and that is
being implemented just as harshly under President Obama as it was under
President Bush.

So in July of this year we will once again be visiting Cuba with our hearts
full of solidarity and our schoolbuses full of humanitarian aid for Cuba –
WITHOUT REQUESTING A US GOVERNMENT LICENSE – as a means of directly
challenging, and bringing public attention to, the travel ban and blockade.

We ask you to join us in this challenge --

* by joining the 22nd Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba
or by becoming one of the thousands of people who work with us to:

* organize local public outreach events for the Caravan across the US and
Canada,

* collect the humanitarian aid that we will deliver in July

* raise funds to help support the project.

In Cuba, the caravanistas will have an exciting educational and cultural
program, which will focus on the achievements of young people in Cuba. We will
celebrate Cuban youth and learn about their daily lives and experiences as we
visit organic gardens, neighborhood projects, health centers and schools.

To obtain a caravan application form, or to volunteer to help with caravan
work, write to us at [e-mail] <1> or telephone our national office
212-926-5757.

More information about the caravan, including this year’s brochure in English
and Spanish, is available at www.pastorsforpeace.org <2>. You can make a
donation to support the organizing of the caravan by clicking on the 'Donate
Now' button on our website. You can also read more and see short video clips at
www.facebook.com/pastorsforpeace <3> and www.youtube.com/pastorsforpeace <4>

Caravan Dates

July 2-16 Caravan routes through US and Canadian cities

July 17-19 Orientation program in McAllen, TX

July 20-21 Border Crossing into Mexico and travel to Tampico

July 22 Travel to Cuba

July 22-30 Cuba program

July 31 Fly to Tampico and travel back to border

Aug 1 Reverse challenge: crossing into Texas

You can join the caravan when a caravan vehicle comes through your city during
the first half of July, or join us at the orientation in Texas on July 17th as
we prepare to cross the US border.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Best wishes to Pastors for Freedom this year. Hope it will be even more successful,

honoring the value of this effort, and its creator, Rev. Lucius Walker.

July isn't so far away.