Charleston, S.C., Nov. 11 — More than 100 National Network on Cuba delegates and friends rededicated their solidarity with socialist Cuba during its annual fall meeting held in Charleston, South Carolina, November 7 to 9. The meeting, themed “Unity in Action,” was hosted by the Lowcountry Action Committee, one of more than 50 engaged member organizations of the NNOC.
ICAP president highlights challenges and priorities
In a video message, the president of the NNOC’s Cuban partner, the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), Fernando González Llort, outlined the challenges faced by the peoples of both the U.S. and Cuba as they confront the global crisis. He described the extensive damage caused by the recent hurricane and the effectiveness of Cuba’s civil defense system, designed under Fidel Castro to preserve life.
González Llort emphasized that the greatest obstacle to recovery is the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. government. While the U.S. media machine conceals the political and legal framework of the blockade, he noted that people in the United States continue to demonstrate consistency and solidarity.
“The work you do from the United States is essential. Every local resolution passed, every caravan, every brigade, every piece of communication that dismantles the lies, is a decisive blow against the policy of suffocation,” he said.
He outlined Cuba’s key priorities:
- Intensify the campaign to denounce the blockade and Cuba’s inclusion on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
- Develop an effective solidarity response that channels medical supplies, construction materials, and essential equipment to Cuba.
- Promote travel to Cuba as a political act that reveals the truth about the island.
- Strengthen national and inter-regional alliances to confront and overcome the blockade.
NNOC leadership calls for strategic action
During opening remarks, NNOC Co-Chair Onyesonwu Chatoyer emphasized the urgent importance of the Network’s work. “We are not here to merely resist. We are here to build a unified, strategic, and disciplined force that can win,” she said. From delivering medicine to forming brigades to passing resolutions, the NNOC’s efforts contribute directly to building a world beyond imperialism.
New campaign: Let Cuban athletes compete
To actively engage in the perspective outlined by Chatoyer, one of the NNOC key leaders, the gathering unanimously endorsed a new international effort: Let Cuban Athletes Compete in the 2028 Olympics! Grant visas now for qualifying games of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. The campaign will launch later this month.
See Belly of the Beast Instagram video
The campaign responds to a report from the Cuban Sports Institute documenting 81 incidents this year affecting Cuban athletes, coaches, and officials due to U.S. visa denials. Prensa Latina has reported: “Visa issues have affected Cuban athletes in table tennis, basketball, track and field, soccer, triathlon, fencing, volleyball, and softball, as well as officials from the Cuban Olympic Committee, who are unable to attend meetings of Panam Sports, the governing body for sports on the continent.”
Workshops build national and international solidarity
The experiences learned in the 9th Continental meeting in solidarity with Cuba held in Mexico City was carried through the weekend where four workshops aimed at expanding solidarity work.
Growing NNOC Action for Cuba Committees
A national growth strategy through NNOC Action for Cuba Committees to organize and mobilize returning Cuba brigadistas; a material aid strategy to expand the resource contacts and communication across the country. In addition to supporting hurricane relief donations through the Peoples Forum, continuing the Saving Lives Campaign born during the COVID-19 crisis and the Hatuey Project bringing critical pediatric medicines to Cuban children, a workshop discussed building a national ongoing coordination of material aid beginning with filling containers for Cuba as initiated by the LA Hands Off Cuba in partnership with the Pan American Medical Medical Association and Not-Just-Tourists.
Building support for ending the blockade
Another workshop, We Are Resolute: Building and Documenting Support for Ending the Blockade, focused on resolution campaigns. Participants proposed adding a “what to do after a resolution is passed” resource to NNOC.org.
More than 120 resolutions have already been adopted by elected bodies and labor organizations, representing more than 60 million U.S. residents. Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, are among the most recent jurisdictions calling for Cuba’s removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists reaffirmed its support with a resolution at its 2025 International Convention.
Coordinating media work
The fourth workshop focused on expanding media coordination. This was a major focus of the recent Mexico conference where coordination was urged over duplication.
New members and renewed leadership
Two new organizations — Philly4Cuba and Colorado Cuba Sí — were voted in as NNOC members. Two of the Network’s five co-chair positions were renewed. Representatives of the Cuban Embassy brought greetings and took part in a panel discussion.
Honoring Palestine and the history of Charleston
The weekend’s agenda incorporated solidarity with Palestine and deep recognition of the historic setting of the place the delegates gathered. The last session of the conference was held on the Atlantic shore in a stirring and fitting conclusion. While drummers set the tone in tribute to Assata Shakur, who died recently, a free woman in Cuba, the memory of the ancestors who arrived on slave ships was also present.
For a local perspective, see: Charleston, SC: National Network on Cuba Fall Meeting.
Source: National Network on Cuba (NNOC)
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