Love is Our License

By Babette Grunow
Pointing to the words on his shirt, “Love is our license” Rev. Luis Barrios of Pastors for Peace explains that they refuse to ask for a government license from the State Department to travel to Cuba. He said that the Pastors for Peace caravan practices civil disobedience “as a means of directly challenging and bringing public attention to the travel ban and blockade” against Cuba. We ”struggle to practice justice” Rev. Barrios told a group of over 60 community activists and parishioners gathered at Central United Methodist Church on Friday evening to celebrate the send-off of the 22nd annual Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba.

For two weeks in early July, the Pastors will travel through 130 cities in Canada and the US along thirteen routes meeting with community groups, church congregations and gathering construction supplies, medical equipment, educational, cultural equipment as donations to church groups in Cuba. “We are responding to a call for help from our brothers and sisters in a neighboring country. We don’t need a license” Rev. Barrios explained what he planned to tell the US officials at the border crossing in McAllen Texas.

He said that Cuba is a poor country but one with “dignity and integrity.” Barrios explained that since Cuba gained its “fake independence” from Spain in 1898 the US controlled all political and economic aspects of the island. It wasn’t until the Revolution that the Cubans retook control from the US. However “challenging US policy has its consequences.” Barrios detailed the US reaction in planning the Bay of Pigs, the CIA plots to kill Castro and the 78 special agents that are assigned to this day to the project to destabilize Cuba. He compared this to the three agents that were assigned to the attempts to find Bin Laden, questioning the priorities.  He intoned, “US foreign policy is the problem.”

Despite the blockade and other US attempts to undermine the economic and political system, Cuba has developed a world renowned medical system. Cuba seeks to share its medical system with the world by sending medical brigades to assist in crises such as Haiti’s earthquake last year. They also train medical students from many countries, including 125 students from the US in exchange for a pledge from the young doctors that they will use there medical skills in underserved communities. One of those students, Joya Mosley from Milwaukee explained that the 6 year program “goes pretty fast.” She said that she looked forward to coming home and getting a chance to use her training to serve her community here in Milwaukee but that “Cuba is like a second home.”

Many on the caravan share that sense of friendship with the Cuban people. Scot MacGregor, the driver of the school bus that is carrying the caravanistas and the aid, said that he was a veteran of past caravans that have been stopped at the US-Mexican border. Despite the hassles he says he is looking forward to doing it all again, “it’s a powerful experience.”

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