Throughout last week, Cuban-Americans across the country stood in solidarity with Cuba through local protests. They took it one step further by traveling to Washington, D.C. on Saturday and making sure the nation’s leaders could hear their requests for Cuba’s freedom.
What We Know:
- The demonstrators crowded around the White House to demand President Joe Biden offer assistance to America’s neighboring island. Although Biden stated he would consider sending US technology to send internet services to Cuba, it has become increasingly obvious to Cuban-Americans that he does not intend to prioritize the crisis.
- When protests erupted last Sunday in Cuba, citizens began asking for the United States to intervene in the crisis. Protestors on the island waved American flags and chanted the word “freedom.” Despite possibly facing jail time or execution for talking against the Cuban regime, people also took to social media to ask for President Biden’s assistance.
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- Many protestors stood outside the White House waving anti-communist signs and the Cuban flag until sundown. Some also came to protests with bloody makeup to symbolize how the island’s communist government murders its citizens. Citizens additionally sang “Patria Y Vida,” the movement’s anthem.
- Protestors emphasized that demonstrations would make Biden prioritize the crisis. One person told Miami’s local channel WSVN that more people die every moment Biden spends contemplating his intervention. Additionally, another person stated the only way he could help his people is by taking it to the White House.
“I’m here to tell please to Joe Biden, if they can help all the Cubans, that they need food, they need water, clean water. The kids need toys… You see, in America, we have almost everything, so we need everyone in Cuba to have the same things,” said 10-year-old Virginian Camila Fernandez.
- Demonstrators also traveled to the Cuban Embassy’s office in D.C. When they arrived, they saw a banner that read “Cuban Lives Matter. End the blockade now!” Furthermore, the Embassy blasted music to drown out the protestor’s chants as the sign spread false information on the Cuban crisis. This upset many and proved that the island’s ambassadors would not hear their pleas. Regardless, the Cuban-Americans raised their voices louder to ensure people inside the embassy could hear them.
In addition, demonstrators declared they would continue fighting for Cuban freedom and all the countries facing communist regimes.
