Washington, April 10.- Almost 200 Cuban-American Democrats and hundreds of Americans signed a petition to President Joe Biden to honor his unfulfilled promise to change the policy of the United States Government towards Cuba.
“We are extremely disappointed and dismayed by your inaction, lack of courage and sensitivity to undo the drastic and unfounded executive measures imposed by your predecessor (Donald Trump),” says an open letter published by ACERE, a coalition of organizations opposed to the blockade of Cuba. and in favor of the normalization of relations.
His campaign promise to undo the havoc caused by the previous administration to Cuban families was one of the main factors why many of us supported him, they recalled.
Signers of the open letter also include two dozen Cuban-American groups, and concerned Americans include former federal, state and local officials; academics; business owners, executives and investors.
The relationship also includes lawyers; architects; doctors; scientists; educators; artists, musicians, filmmakers and social workers, among others.
Recent polls report that, of the nearly 1.5 million Cuban American voters, more than half are consistently in favor of normalization with Cuba; while support is overwhelming among Democratic and younger voters.
The signatories warned President Biden that he will inevitably have to address the issue of his administration's policy towards Cuba and in that case he will have two options: “a new policy of commitment to the island or continue with the same failed policy of most of the last 60 years, as you did during your first term.”
Only if you choose the former will you continue to win a considerable proportion of the vote of our community, for whom this is a decisive and urgent issue, they stated in the letter.
But “beyond the Cuban-American community, we reflect the opinions of a large majority of the American people, who support normalization with Cuba; and an eventual end to the embargo (blockade), which has caused so much unnecessary suffering to the Cuban and American people,” they added.
We need your courage to implement what the majority of the Cuban American community and the overwhelming majority of American and world citizens believe is right, the petition concluded.
The letter was signed by the former vice president of the Hispanic Caucus of the Democratic National Committee, Jorge Quintana; the president of the University of Washington, Ana Mari Cauce; the founder and former executive director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, Sarah Stephens; and six-time Grammy-winning musician and composer Arturo O'Farrill.
Additionally, Hollywood executive and Democratic National Committee Finance Committee member Andy Spahn; Vice President of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, Stuart Ashman; former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America Fulton Armstrong; and Busboys and Poets founder and CEO Andy Shallal, among others. (PL) (Photo: PL/Archive)
