CUBA: Next Target in Bush's Endless War? (Part One)

A public forum took place on Saturday, June 21, 2003 at Horace Mann School in San Francisco. The forum covered the latest events in Cuba, an analysis of the role of Bush’s administration, the Pentagon and Miami extremist rightwing in U.S. policy toward Cuba and how to mobilize the anti-war forces in response.

The featured speaker was Andres Gomez, leader in Miami’s progressive Cuban community; Director, Areito Digital; and founder, Antonio Maceo Brigade

The Antonio Maceo Brigade is a Cuban-American organization supportive of the Cuban government and its people and is mainly based in Miami.

The Antonio Maceo Brigade was begun in December 1977 by young Cubans, mainly those whose parents had left Cuba in the early years after the Revolution. Although their parents tended to be very anti-Cuban revolution, because of the movement against the war, the civil rights struggle, those youth, like youth all across the country, became politicized, and also became aware of the reality of the Cuban revolution.

They were very courageous, bucking the Miami Cuban community anti-Cuba sentiments and their own families' hostility to the country, in declaring themselves supportive of Cuba. They formed the Antonio Maceo Brigade, organizing support, trips to Cuba, etc. It was very dangerous in Miami -- as it is still in many ways for Cubans who oppose the right-wing in Miami. One of their members was assassinated in Puerto Rico in the late 1970s.

Andres Gomez was one of the founders, he has been the leader of the group for many years. They work with a lot of other groups in Miami together in coalition, like the Cuban Alliance of Workers, the Jose Marti Alliance, and The Miami Coalition in Support of the Cuban Revolution.

Included here is "Part One" of the Video, 14 minutes, 20 seconds in Windows Media format.

"Part Two" of the video (13minutes, 50seconds) is published seperately here on SFIndyMedia