L.A. activists mobilize to deliver medical supplies to Cuba amid the U.S. Blockade

On Monday, a group of activists gathered at a warehouse in Garden Grove to load a truck full of life-saving medical supplies and medicines destined for the people of Cuba who are suffering under the weight of a crippling blockade that hit its 63-year mark on February 3rd. The embargo, proclaimed by the United States of America in 1962, has, among other components, restricted access to certain medicines and medical supplies the island desperately needs. As a result, it has left thousands without the necessary medication for critical healthcare. 

The effort was led by Doctor Uriel Ramirez, an L.A. resident who graduated from Cuba’s prestigious Latin American School of Medicine. Dr. Ramirez partnered with local groups such as the Democratic Socialist of America’s (DSA) Orange County Chapter, Hands Off Cuba Committee - Los Angeles, Global Health Partners and Not Just Tourists Orange County. 

Despite the risk of challenging the blockade, volunteers worked tirelessly on Monday to gather the medicines and medical supplies and bring them all together. “I started this process over a year ago. Reaching out to different groups and activists,” said Dr. Ramirez. They filled the truck with more than $200,000 in medical supplies and half a million dollars worth of painkillers, which was a special request by Cuba since there were none on the island given the blockade. In addition, boxes of syringes, unique material for the William Soler Pediatric Teaching Hospital and materials for cardiology supplies would go with the 500 pacemakers.  

Thirteen pallets are on their way to a port in Jacksonville, Florida. From there, it will be loaded into a ship headed for Cuba. 

“It is important to help out Cuba and lift the blockade. I just think it is immoral to deny medical care, to deny food to a whole island of people. People need food and medicine,” said Sean del Castillo, an organizer with DSA-OC. 

All participants in this humanitarian shipment of supplies emphasized the urgency of the mission they collectively developed. “The U.S. has had an illegal, genocidal embargo on the people of Cuba for over sixty years, so this mission is not just about delivering supplies, but it is also about bringing awareness to the people of the U.S. of what their government is doing in their name,” said Mark Friedman, and organizer with the L.A. chapter of the Hands Off Cuba Committee. 

International call to lift the blockade

In the U.S., the exact number of medicine and medical supplies thrown away yearly is unknown, “but estimates show it’s substantial,” reads a ProPublica report. “Colorado officials have said the state’s 220 long-term care facilities throw away a whopping 17.5 tons of potentially reusable drugs every year, with a price tag of about $10 million,” the report stated. 

“In six weeks, I will have another full truck loaded with more medical supplies and medicine,” said Carl Eaton from Not Just Tourists. “Many local hospitals reach out to us because they need to get rid of usable, non-expired medicine and supplies,” Carl added.

Despite not having access to the most recent technology and medical research, Cuba’s healthcare system ranks 27th globally, ahead of developed countries like Canada, the United Kingdom and Portugal. 

The embargo, which the international community argues is designed to exert political pressure, has failed to achieve its stated goals of “denying money and supplies to Cuba, to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation, and overthrow of government,” reads the U.S. Foreign Relations document from April 6, 1960.

For thirty-two years straight at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the world has voted 187 to two, in favor of calling an end to the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The only countries that voted to support the embargo were the U.S. and Israel, while Ukraine abstained. 

A message of hope and resistance

The activists felt determined as the truck was loaded and prepared for its journey to Jacksonville, then Cuba. “It is a good feeling that we came together to make this happen. But we know that this is not enough. The Cuban people need shipments like this daily, and we need to tell our government to lift the inhumane embargo so that they can access this life-saving material with no issues,” said Mike Vera, patrolman of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific. Many activists share his sentiment. 

For those involved, the goal is not only about delivering medicine but taking a stand against injustice. “We want to send a message to the world that there is no blockade and no empire that can crush the collective power of the people willing to take a stand for justice,” said Friedman. 

With the truck on its way, organizers are already planning their next mission of gathering and shipping supplies to the island. The shipment of medical supplies and medicine is not a one-time occurrence but a continued organizing effort to help the people of Cuba until the blockade is lifted. For now, their courage serves as a reminder of the power of solidarity in the face of oppression.