21st Friendshipment Caravan Send-off

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Send-off event at El Centro de la Raza in Seattle.

Approximately 40 caravanistas and well-wishers gathered at El Centro de la Raza on Seattle's Beacon Hill for a potluck dinner, speeches, music, last-minute packing and loading of donated aid onto a Cuba-bound schoolbus.

Roberto Maestas, the original founder of El Centro, led the evening off by wishing the carvanistas well and reading his own poem/song about the Cuban Revolution.

Sandino, the Pastors for Peace designated speaker for the West Coast leg of the Friendship caravan, discussed the Cuban Revolution and explained the need for public protests of the US Government blockade.

Ramon, from Seattle, is currently studying medicine at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana.

Rick Fellows, a long time Pastors for Peace staffer, is also an ace mechanic, bus driver, and passionate defender of the Cuban revolution.

Dale Rector led the group in a rousing rendition of "Guantanamera."

Dakadu played a march on his saxophone to send off the bus in style.

Then we packed a few more boxes to go on the bus to Cuba.......

Judy Zeh made a few last-minute additions to the inventory.....

...and the last boxes were loaded onto the bus.

To complete the event, a celebratory group photo.

What's Next
The Caravan bus left Seattle after the send-off party. After spending the night in Olympia, tomorrow  they will begin the long drive south to the Texas-Mexico border and will plan to challenge the US blockade by crossing the border into Mexico on July 21-22. They will continue on to Tampico, then fly to Cuba for a week-long program and return to the US on August 3. Let's wish them luck!
Questions: Call Tom Warner at (206) 523-1720