Please join us Monday, July 19, 6:30 p.m. at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church (1720 Mechanicsville Turnpike, Richmond VA 23223) to meet with Carlos Lazo and the rest of the Bridges of Love (Puentes de Amor) team as they stop in Richmond on their way from Miami to Washington, D.C.

Carlos and his companions are Cuban-Americans who are walking the more than 1,000 miles from south Florida to D.C. to demand an end to the U.S. blockade and travel restrictions against Cuba. Last year, Carlos and another dedicated team carried out the Dream Factory (Fábrica de Sueños) project, riding bicycles 3,000 miles from Seattle to D.C. to promote the same demands. Carlos Lazo arrived in the U.S. from Cuba in 1991, and currently teaches Spanish in Seattle, where he is pursuing a Ph.D. in education.

The small Caribbean island nation of Cuba is located less than 100 miles from Florida. In 1959, the Cuban people threw off the brutal rule of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in the Cuban Revolution. Less than a year later, the United States began what has become the longest economic embargo in modern history. Under this blockade, Cuba is prevented from trading with its closest neighbors, causing great human and economic hardship to the Cuban people. Further, people under U.S. jurisdiction are severely restricted from traveling to Cuba, depriving Cuba of tourist revenue and also discouraging U.S. Americans from learning about our socialist neighbor.

Opening remarks by:

Ana Edwards – Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project
Rev. Rodney Hunter – Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church
Lee Robinson – African Awareness Association

Featured speaker: Carlos Lazo of Bridges of Love, followed by questions, answers and discussion.

A collection will be taken up to support the walk.

NOTE: This event will be livestreamed on Wesley Memorial’s Facebook page. IF YOU ARE NOT FULLY VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19, WE ASK THAT YOU WATCH THE EVENT ONLINE. For those attending in person, we ask that you wear a mask and socially distance.

Event Sponsor: The Antiwar Committee of the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality

Endorsers: (List in formation)

African Awareness Association
All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (GC)
Arab American Association of Central Virginia
Bridging the Gap in Virginia
Community Unity in Action
Democratic Socialists of America – Richmond
Hampton Roads for Palestine
Odessa Solidarity Campaign
Richmond Food Not Bombs
Richmond Indigenous Society
Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project
The Virginia Defender newspaper

The Facebook event page for this event can be found here. The Instagram announcement can be found here. For more information, or to endorse this event, call or text the Defenders at 804-644-5834 or email DefendersFJE@hotmail.com.