In Boston, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles and elsewhere opponents of U.S. policy against Cuba are moving into high gear to build participation in the "Cuba Lives" festival planned for August 1-7. Coalitions in these cities are setting an example for what can be done in every urban center in the United States.

A sizable delegation from the United States, joining with those who will go to Cuba from around the world, will be an important and visible act of solidarity with the fight of the Cuban people to defend their sovereign rights. In addition to many local Cuba coalitions throughout the United States the festival has been endorsed by the National Network on Cuba.

"Cuba Lives" is the theme of the event and this fact is what irks many of those who appeared at recent hearings on the proposed Helms-Burton bill in Congress. That bill aims to further tighten the screws against Cuba's working people, even strong arming other nations to go along with the latest dictates from Washington.

But in spite of the harsh impact of decades of embargo, the illegal occupation of a piece of Cuban territory at Guantánamo, and constant attempts to break the will of Cuba's revolutionary people - "Cuba Lives." Cuba faces deep economic problems, but the working class there has a decisive say in the measures that will be taken to deal with that crisis and they don't intend to give up their country to the imperialists.

This stands in stark contrast to what is happening in the rest of the world. Throughout Latin America a wave of protests and strikes is bringing into focus the terrible price being paid by the working masses in country after country as austerity measures are imposed that translate into massive unemployment, wage cuts, and attacks on democratic rights. More and more of those nation's resources are being put on the auction block for the highest bidders from imperialist countries. This makes the example of Cuba more powerful every day.

Two months remain to get young people and others who have expressed interest and signed up on lists turned into confirmed participants in the "Cuba Lives" festival - with money raised and travel plans set. Speaking to groups and gathering support for fund raising events now will be crucial to putting together the largest delegation possible.

Many participants will want to take advantage of their trip to Cuba to travel on assignment for a local newspaper or radio program. The work to get media outlets to agree to these assignments will help provide a wider forum for report- backs about Cuba today and the fight for the right to travel there.

Building the "Cuba Lives" festival will also help make the upcoming international days of actions in support of Cuba in October a bigger success. Regional demonstrations set for October 14 in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco to oppose U.S. policy against Cuba will get a boost from hundreds of young people and others coming back from Cuba and telling the truth about what the working people of Cuba are fighting for and why Washington's efforts to destroy the revolution should be opposed.  
 
 
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