Monica Garcia is a junior in college. She says going to Cuba and seeing a power outage taught her more than any class could.
“A lot of the group went outside to see what it was like, how they were handling it. People were dancing in the street, playing music. People were playing music, like lighting small bonfires and stuff, trying to light the area. It was insane,” Garcia said.
She was one of 140 other volunteers who went on a flight from Miami to Cuba last month, taking 6,300 pounds of supplies with them.
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It included medical supplies and equipment, and non-perishable food. The group gathered in Little Haiti to reflect on what they learned.
“You understand it. Seeing it on paper. But seeing it yourself was something out of this world. It was incredible,” Garcia said.
The Caribbean country continues to cope with power outages, as the U.S. continues to block most oil shipments into the country.
Alexander Edlan’s Family is from Cuba , and he says he never got to see the country until he went down with the group.
“People are not doing well. And I just think it’s kinda my responsibility. I can’t just sit there are do nothing about it,” Edlan said.
Since their trip, the U.S. has allowed a Russian tanker into Cuba, and now Russia plans on sending a second shipment of oil to the island.
“The conditions will not improve significantly as long as there is this naval blockade and this embargo that makes it difficult to do anything,” said Medea Benjamin of CodePink, a group that helped organize the trip.
Several senate democrats have introduced a war powers resolution. If it passes, it could restrict U.S. millitary action against Cuba.
President Trump has hinted at doing what he calls either a “friendly or unfriendly” takeover of Cuba.
