Sunday, March 28, 2010

Thousands Meet by Jose Marti's Bust in Los Angeles

Under a warm Californian sun, Thousands of Cubans and many of our Latin American neighbours and Americans gathered in the name of freedom. I saw Cuban, American, Salvadorian, Mexican, Venezuelans, Honduran flags.

I imagined that our Apostle Marti was watching us proud. All united for the freedom of Cuban political prisoners. Gathered in the name of those who have no freedom of expression, or right to gather to ask for their rights. United for the Ladies in White, so they can continue to march for the freedom of their love ones, without being mistreated or imprisoned.

United in one voice for the world to listen and not be an accomplice to so much violence against a peaceful dissidence and a people that can take no more.

We marched for those we left behind, for the thousands dead at the hands of the Castro dictatorship, for all the mothers who mourn their sons and daughters, for what we lost and for what we hope for. We marched for a better future for future generations.

Sadly, just moments before the schedule speakers arrived, I received a message from Facebook about the critical condition of Guillermo Farina who is on hunger and thirst strike. I remember that shared it with a man who started to cry. Many of us had tears in our eyes during the march and I can't blame them-it's been five decades of waiting for a change that never came.

At the start of the presentation, there was an announcement that they had recieved news from Cuba that Reina Tamayo, mother of murdered political prisoner Orlando Zapata, had been Hacked today, by a mob of Castro sympathizers. There is no honor in torturing a mother in mourning.

Present at the event were Andy Garcia, Perez Hilton, George Lopez, Maria Conchita Alonso, Steven Bower, Huber Matos, among others.

There were scream of down with Fidel, freedom, Zapata lives and in spite of Andy and Conchita's reminders that we could accomplish more in silence, we found difficult to stay quiet. The word silence is not in the Cuban dictionary.

Aproximately at four in the afternoon, we started walking and I have to say it was overcomed by the long line of people, dressed all dressed in white, united by the love of the our country of birth and the admiration of those inside Cuba, who are sacrificing their lives, to leave their children a better future.