At Old East Durham Café, Socialists Raise Funds for Relief in Cuba

On Aug. 30, at Nuestro Barrio Liberation Cafe, about 15 activists gathered to raise money for the Hatuey Project, which sends cancer medicines and medical supplies to Cuba. Attendees listened to presentations about Cuban history and discussed ways to overcome the 60-year US embargo of the island. The Triangle chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) hosted the event as part of its ongoing series of rallies and fundraisers for Cuba.

At the ‘Break the Blockade’ event, PSL sold guava pastries and cookies with proceeds going to the Hatuey Project. The project, named for an Indigenous hero, was started by US activists to provide cancer medications and materials to Cuba, with a focus on children suffering from leukemia and lymphoma. Cuba has an excellent health care system and life expectancy that rivals that of the US. However, most countries are restricted from trading with Cuba under long-standing US sanctions.

PSL began Saturday's event with a chant of “Abajo, abajo, abajo el bloqueo!” Organizers gave presentations that showed the centuries-old roots of US antagonism to Cuba. One slideshow included quotes from Thomas Jefferson the 1700s advocating the conquest of Cuba, a feat not accomplished by the US until 1898.

The embargo is codified 1996 Helms-Burton Act and other federal laws. The law is named for Jesse Helms, a white supremacist who served as North Carolina senator for 30 years. Helms also wielded influence over policy towards Haiti. He played a leading role in overthrowing the democratically elected, progressive government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

To generate discussion, organizers distributed slips of paper with the names of different countries or territories such as Mexico, the US, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Cuba. Each paper outlined the powers and limits of each entity. For example, Mexico was described as being allowed to send food to Cuba but unable to militarily defend the island. Each group was also asked if their country or territory hosts US military bases, provided their people with universal health care, and so on.

Under the Trump administration, the embargo has been tightened with Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terror. Cuba has not committed terrorist acts and the US designation is widely considered to be pretextual.

During breaks, attendees could order an ‘Old East Durham’ or other types of coffee. They could also purchase The Black Belt Thesis: A Reader or other books from PSL’s mini-bookstore. Nuestro Barrio’s walls are covered with the flags of Global South countries. The cafe used to be on West Morgan Street but recently moved to South Driver Street in the Old East Durham district.

In Triangle left-wing circles, PSL is best-known for the extraordinary number of anti-genocide protests it has helped to lead in Raleigh’s Moore Square since October 2023. During Saturday's event, organizers drew the parallels between US support for the 60-year blockade of Cuba and the 20-year siege of the Gaza Strip.

In April 2025, PSL held a ‘Noche Cubana’ that raised $2,000 for Cuban relief. The ‘Break the Blockade’ event on Aug. 30 built on that effort and likely netted a few hundred more dollars.