MEDIA ADVISORY
July 19, 2009 for immediate release
Contact: Ellen Bernstein, IFCO/Pastors for Peace 646/319-5902
IFCO in NYC: Lucia Bruno 212/926-5757, 347/423-4330
PASTORS FOR PEACE TO OBAMA:
‘TIME TO END THE BLOCKADE!'
‘FRIENDSHIPMENT' CARAVAN TO CUBA
TO CROSS BORDER JULY 21 IN NEW CHALLENGE TO US BLOCKADE
PRESS CONFERENCE: Monday July 20, 2009, 12:00 noon
Living Faith Center
Our Savior Lutheran Church
1105 W. Fern Ave
McAllen, TX 78501
130 volunteers from the US, Canada, and Europe will challenge the US economic blockade of Cuba when they cross the border from McAllen, Texas into Reynosa, Mexico on July 21. The members of the 20th US/Cuba Friendshipment Caravan will deliver 100 tons of aid to Cuba in a direct challenge to the inhumane blockade.
Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., founder and executive director of IFCO/Pastors for Peace, and other members of the Pastors for Peace caravan will speak at a press conference on Monday, July 20, at 12:00 noon, in the parking lot of the Living Faith Center of Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1105 W. Fern Avenue, McAllen, TX.
"We are engaging in this act of civil disobedience to let the Obama administration and Congress know that the US economic blockade against Cuba is immoral, illegal, mean- spirited, counterproductive, and just plain dumb," said Rev. Walker.
Seven brightly painted schoolbuses filled with aid, two large box trucks (filled with aid collected by Cuban-Americans in Florida), and several smaller vehicles make up this year's caravan, which is carrying urgently needed construction supplies for victims of the three hurricanes that hit Cuba in the summer of 2008. Nearly 500,000 Cuban homes were damaged by the hurricanes.
The caravan stopped in 140 cities over the last two weeks. Every place the caravan stopped, the message was clear: ‘President Obama, it's time to end this blockade!'
Pastors for Peace is a project of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), a national ecumenical agency that has been working for social, racial, and economic justice since 1967.
Photographs and additional information are available HERE
addendum: if you're a united statesian citizen, we'd really appreciate if you can
CALL THE WHITEHOUSE !!!
The 20th Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba crosses the US/Mexican border on July 21st. We’d sure appreciate it if you’d show solidarity and support by calling the Whitehouse @ 202-456-1111 to say:
"My name is ___; I come from (city/state); I am a supporter of Pastors for Peace; I am calling to say that the US economic blockade of Cuba is immoral, illegal, mean-spirited, counterproductive, and just plain dumb. It's time to end the blockade of Cuba --and to free the Cuban Five and let the caravan cross July 21st."
Comments can ALSO be written to the White House at www.whitehouse.gov; or send a fax (please use recycled paper) to the White House: 202/456-2461.
