Cuban American National Foundation Hosts Round Table on Human Rights and Civil Society In Cuba
MIAMI — The Cuban American National Foundation hosted a round table dialogue to discuss recommendations surrounding President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Cuba with assistant to President Obama and Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, and prominent members of Cuba’s independent civil society on Friday, March 11, 2016.
The event marks a historic moment for both the Cuban exile community and the citizens of Cuba, as we join as one nation, “un solo pueblo,” for an unprecedented opportunity to share our thoughts and hopes for the President’s visit to Cuba.
At the forefront of the conversation, members of Cuba’s independent civil society will recommend that the spirit of President Obama’s presence in Cuba, and the value of his message, be directed to the Cuban people. A people that, for over 50 years, have faced political, economic, and social repression denying them the opportunity to freely hear and express the fundamental principles of freedom and democracy, or to prosper from the undeniable value of respect for all human rights.
As leader of the United States, a country that promotes and fosters such values throughout the world, we sit with his representatives today, and ask that the President’s message to the Cuban people be one of hope and encouragement, urging the people of Cuba to recognize that, genuine change does not come from without, but from within the hearts and minds of the Cuban people, and from their determination to demand change.
It is our firm belief that, by listening to the recommendations of members of Cuban civil society, and understanding their struggles and frustrations towards a system that has denied all Cubans the aforementioned freedoms, the President will arrive to Cuba knowing the realities of the Cuban people, and will leave the Island-nation having had the opportunity to freely promote, and encourage, the principles of democracy and self-determination; a message that may have profound effects on the future of Cuba, and the spirit of its people.
