by JR Valrey, The People’s Minister of Information
The US government shutdown was economically catastrophic for a lot of people nationally last year. Now just imagine if that shutdown was in effect for 65 years. That is the only way I could compare how the US-sponsored blockade on Cuba is affecting the society so that ordinary people from the US would be able to understand it in relation to recent national events.
Brenda Lopez is the cofounder of Cuba Si, Bloqueo No!, an organization dedicated to ending the US sponsored blockade on Cuba, and furthermore to educate people in the US as to why this aspect of US foreign policy is a crime against humanity and a gross human rights violation. Brenda has been working with the organization on a number of initiatives to help the people of Cuba in their recovery from last October’s Hurricane Melissa which ravaged the Caribbean, as well as aid in the fight against imperialism, a form of international terrorism.
With mainstream media being controlled by the same corporate and foreign entities that control the US government, it is important to get reports from people who are actually engaged in work in these countries and can speak first hand as to what is going on beyond the veil of US propaganda.
JR Valrey: The United States recently abducted President Maduro of Venezuela. How will Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” affect Cuba?
Brenda Lopez: Venezuela and Cuba have both been sanctioned by the US imperialist powers because of their anti-capitalist governments, which has allied them in order to survive strangling sanctions imposed by the US. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but its health care system has always faced staff shortages. So Cuba has, since the late ’90s, sent doctors and nurses to work in Venezuela in exchange for oil shipments. All of this makes Cuba a clear target for Trump’s agenda of bringing in regime change, which has been the US government’s goal since the revolution started in 1959. That’s why the Cuban revolution has not gone a single year without US sanctions.
JR Valrey: Can you talk about the work that the US Hands Off Cuba Committee is now engaged in?
Brenda Lopez: At the end of last year the US Hands Off Cuba Committee was able to ship a container with a million dollars worth of medical aid and hurricane relief to Cuba. The initiative included the L.A. Hands Off Cuba Committee, the Pan American Medical Association, Global Health Partners and Not Just Tourists. The initiative was initiated after Cuba was hit with a Category 3 Hurricane, Hurricane Melissa. Due to ongoing crippling US sanctions, Cuba does not have the material resources to recover despite their strong preventative measures. So their organizations collaborated and we were able to ship over a 40 foot container full of oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, as well as painkillers and antibiotics since their water system nearly collapsed after the hurricane.
Currently the US Hands Off Cuba Committee is focusing on a campaign called Let Cuba Play that focuses on ensuring that Cuban athletes have the opportunity to play in the upcoming 2028 Paralympics and Olympic Games. Currently the US is blocking 100 Cuban athletes from qualifying for the games by denying them visas. This goes against the core values of the International Olympic Committee, whose charter rejects discrimination of any kind and protects every athlete’s right to compete free from political interference. Denying visas based on nationality violates that principle and undermines the spirit of global unity that the Olympics are meant to represent. People can learn more and find out how to help by visiting LetCubaPlay.com.
JR Valrey: Hurricane Melissa ravaged Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba’s eastern region in October. How much have Cuban residents recovered from the hurricane?
Brenda Lopez: As mentioned in my last answer, Cuba relies on strong preventative measures that make the human toll of catastrophic environmental events minimal. In Cuba, no deaths were reported as a result of Hurricane Melissa, thanks to the evacuation of over 735,000 residents prior to the storm’s arrival. However, the material impact is large due to the infrastructure crippled by over 65 years of sanctions. Cuba reports that about 106,500 homes were damaged and as of January about 15,037 of those had been recovered, according to Danislay Hechavarría Duvalón, the Coordinator of Construction Programs and Objectives in the Provincial Government of the People’s Power.
JR Valrey: Despite a US sponsored blockade, Cuba’s international brigades have helped poor and needy people around the world. Can you give a little history in that regard?
Brenda Lopez: Cuba values its strong international relations since this has been one of the key ways it has survived over 65 years of US sanctions. The island has long been a supporter of liberation struggles due to its policy that was justified directly by the Marxist concept of proletarian internationalism. This is why Cuba participated in the Angolan Civil War and supported the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), deploying troops to Angola from 1975 until 1991 to support the fight against apartheid in South Africa.
Additionally, Cuba relies on a strong health sector that has sent over 100,000 health professionals to over 70 countries to provide critical medical care. Most of these medical brigades serve in rural and marginalized urban areas, locations where people do not normally have access to other health care services. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba sent 3,700 health workers to 39 countries, including Italy. Many of the missions are provided at no cost to the host country and its citizens.
When the country does compensate Cuba for its services, it helps Cuba cover the costs of its own free public healthcare system, as well as its entirely free and renowned medical education system serving Cuban and international students. Despite suffering under the longest sanctions regime in history, Cuba has given free medical training to more than 1,500 Palestinian students since 1982.
JR Valrey: Why do people see Trump’s pre-planning to militarily attack Mexico as an additional attack on Cuba indirectly, similar to the attack on Venezuela?
Brenda Lopez: Mexico is also a long time ally of Cuba and sympathetic to its revolution. An ally to Cuba is an enemy to the US, so Mexico has increasingly found itself threatened by the Trump administration for supporting Cuba with oil along with Venezuela.
But regardless, the US has for a very long time tried to control Latin America, as seen by its many coup attempts to insert US friendly governments so it can extract cheap natural resources and/or cheap labor, avoiding US work regulations. From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2025, Mexico shipped 19,200 barrels per day to Cuba: 17,200 barrels of crude oil and 2,000 barrels of refined products, according to the most recent report that state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
JR Valrey: Where can people get accurate info on Cuba, if they want to stay updated and/or help?
Brenda Lopez: People can find accurate information on Cuba in Cuban newspapers like Granma (granma.cu) or Trabajadores (trabajadores.cu). One of my favorite outlets is Belly of the Beast Cuba; you can go to their website or their social media for English updates on almost anything affecting Cuba from Cuban journalists with narrative geared to the American demographic that is interested in understanding the complexities of US sanctions and what they mean for the Cuban and American people.
JR Valrey is a veteran journalist who can be heard weekly on Wednesdays on 89.5FM KPOO or KPOO.com from noon to 3 p.m. His work can also be heard on www.blockreportradioworld.com.
