by Merri Ansara
On March 21, 2026 hundreds of people from the United States, Europe, Latin America and other parts of the world will converge in Havana calling for an end to the siege of Cuba by the United States. Organized by the Nuestra America Convoy, activists will travel by air and sea carrying humanitarian aid to the Cuban people.
After 65 years of embargo and sanctions by the United States, Cuba has now been pushed to the brink of humanitarian disaster, warns the United Nations. The Trump administration cut off remaining oil deliveries to Cuba in January through a combination of threats and additional tariffs. As in every modern society, oil powers the infrastructure of survival, not to mention the hallmarks of a functioning society – lighting, transportation, water systems, manufacturing, farming, medical services, education, culture and sports.
The Nuestra America Convoy draws on the principles of unity, cooperation, mutual respect for nations’ integrity and sovereignty, and respect for international law. They act in respect for these principles as expressed by the United Nations in their condemnation of Trump’s recent prohibitions on Cuba.
Merriam Ansara, a member of the Massachusetts Peace Action Board and Executive, will join the convoy. She’ll travel with members of Code Pink, Cuban Americans for Cuba, Progressive International and others.
“This is one of the most critical acts of solidarity with Cuba that we have seen since 1969, when 216 young people traveled to the embargoed island with the First Venceremos Brigade,” said Ansara, who joined that Brigade. “The US Embargo was just seven years old, and we broke barriers that everyone in the US thought could not be broken. Travel to Cuba was prohibited, shortages were mounting, and the Cuban people felt alone and isolated. Years later people in Cuba still talk about how much this gesture of solidarity meant to them. The upcoming convoy comes at one of the lowest points in Cuba’s struggle to survive with dignity and sovereignty, and seems to me meaningful in the same way. It shows the Cuban people they are not alone. If it works to sway members of our Congress to support HR 7521 and the S136, bill to lift the Embargo, that will be truly wonderful. If it also prevents Trump from continuing to act with the brutality he and his regime have in Venezuela and Iran, then we will have accomplished even more.”
People are still able to join the convoy and can find out more by contacting Marazul Tours at malonso@marazultours.com. Read more about traveling for the convergence here.
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