Meeting Raśl: a Night of Nearness and Hope for Cuba and the US
Meeting Raúl: a Night of Nearness and Hope for Cuba and the US
September 30, 2015
by Maria Isabel Alfonso
The last days of September have arrived with an invigorating air. The Pope’s visit to Cuba and the United States has sealed an important chapter of irreversibility between the two nations. Apart from that, the presence of Raúl Castro for the first time at the United Nations, and the possibility that the United States votes against the embargo, or abstains from the annual denouncement of the policy in the General Assembly, are facts that can’t be taken lightly.
The Cuban president has had high-level encounters with U.S officials as well as other international leaders. An extremely important moment was the meeting between Raúl Castro and ex-president Bill Clinton where both spoke about the joint medical cooperation for the benefit of the Haitian people. Hopefully, this collaboration will multiply and, one day, Cuban emigrants can participate with specialists of the humanitarian efforts from the island in that field, as well as in healthcare, education, sports, or any other area.
This past Sunday, September 27th, President Raúl Castro held an encounter at the Cuban Mission to the United Nations with Cuban-Americans and American citizens from across the nation. Of those who attended there were movie stars like Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover; journalists like Amy Goodman from the acclaimed program “Democracy Now”; members of prestigious institutions like Latin America Working Group, headed by Mavis Anderson, and Elena Freyre and Julio Ruiz from the Foundation for Normalization of Relations U.S.-Cuba (FORNORM). Miami’s pro-normalization cadre was represented by journalists and activists like Alvaro Fernandez from Progreso Semanal/Progreso Weekly; publisher and radio host Max Lesnik (Replica, Radio Miami), and radio broadcasters Eddie Levy and Edmundo Garcia, who all have contributed to creating plurality in a community where one voice was imposed for many years. Ellen Bernstein, from Pastors for Peace, an organization that has done much for Cuba, was also present.
There were also lesser-known actors such as travel agents, cultural promoters, academics, who, without asking for anything in return, have paid a high price for paving a path of normalcy for both nations. Our opinions may be diverse but we coincide on one central theme: Cuba is a sovereign country and it’s not the duty of the United States, nor, any other country, to impose solutions or preferred Cubans. That perspective was the common factor that connected all present: to have contributed to the improvement of relations between Cuba and the U.S. throughout many decades in a consistent and lasting manner without claiming protagonism. In my case, I attended as Co-Director of Cuban Americans for Engagement (CAFE), an organization of Cuban-Americans spread out over twelve states comprised of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who are all in favor of a change in American policy towards Cuba and a better relationship between Cuba – its society and government—and the Cuban diaspora.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/30/meeting-raul-a-night-of-nearness-and-hope-for-cuba-and-the-us/