Dear John,

Carlos Lazo, a Cuban American teacher, veteran and activist who previously rode a bicycle from Seattle, Washington to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about the embargo on Cuba, is now walking with six other people from Miami to D.C. After their 1,300 mile (!!) journey, they’ll present a petition to members of the Biden administration calling on the White House to lift the illegal and immoral blockade strangling the Cuban people. Lazo’s organization is Puentes de Amor, or Bridges of Love, which is what he’s building with this amazing display of solidarity.

Click here to learn more, see the march route and find out how you can greet the marchers!

Are you not on the march route? That’s okay, you can show your solidarity with Cuba in different ways.

On June 23, 184 nations voted at the United Nations to call for an end to the U.S. embargo of Cuba, the 29th year in a row that the UN General Assembly has made such a call. We had demanded that President Biden abstain from the vote and begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. Unfortunately he didn’t listen, which means we have lots more work to do. Sign our petition calling on President Biden to lift the blockade!

In related news, we pressured GoFundMe on social media and they finally - after almost a month of stalling - agreed to let our fundraiser proceed. We’re raising money to support Cuba’s vaccination program, which is facing a shortage of syringes due to the U.S. blockade. So far we’ve raised over $46,000! Can you help get us to $50,000 by donating or sharing the link? Click here to help vaccinate Cubans!

CODEPINK is helping to organize a flotilla from Key West to Havana! The U.S.-Cuba Friendship Flotilla is scheduled to depart in November 2021. Click here to learn more! We are looking for peace-loving, humanitarian people with boats, people interested in crewing on boats, and everyone willing to contribute time, funds, and/or resources to this inspiring initiative. Fill out our questionnaire if you think you can help!

Don’t have a boat or sailing experience? That’s okay, keep an eye out for our upcoming Cuba delegation! We’re planning on sending a group to Cuba in November - if the timing works out they’ll be able to greet the sailors as they arrive in Havana. But the priority will be getting to know Cuba’s reality, including learning about how the embargo has affected the Cuban people and how they have managed to thrive despite this blockade. Check out the CODEPINK travel page for more info - we’ll be updating it with more details soon.

Finally, in case you missed it last night, CODEPINK was excited to co-host a concert from Morena Son, an all-woman Cuban band who had us dancing to end the embargo. Check it out here!