We believe enabling individuals to advocate across a broad range of social justice issues will lead to a more equitable city that would be worthy of the sacrifice many of our families made in leaving countries where they could no longer pursue their dreams or raise their voices. .
When peaceful protests broke out across Cuba on July 11 in response to a symbiotic humanitarian and political crisis exacerbated by Cuban government’s response to the Covid pandemic, we mobilized a coalition of Cuban-American organizers to identify and direct resources to relief organizations operating on the island, support human rights advocates providing direct legal support to wrongfully detained protesters, and communicate to the broader Cuban-American community.
As Cuban-Americans, we are uniquely aware that the work we do may have not been possible if our families hadn’t made that heartbreaking choice to leave their homes. As we watched family and friends who remained on the island loudly proclaim Patria y Vida, it’s with the hope that what wasn’t possible for us may be possible for them. It was with this faith that our co-founder, Patrick Hidalgo, boldly advocated to open Cuba to the world through his work with the Obama administration. By connecting us to them and them to us, they found a way to make themselves heard.
In partnership with Roots of Hope we launched our Be A Voice for Cuba campaign. It was created and developed by a coalition of artists and activists to draw attention to the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Cuba. The on-going campaign directs viewers to GivetoCuba, the site we founded earlier this summer to aid organizations providing humanitarian aid and increase connectivity to the island.
In September 2022, MFP and Roots of Hope launched a campaign to collect humanitarian assistance following the damage and destruction of Hurricane Ian. We were joined by the Miami Foundation as they made a dollar-for-dollar matching contribution to the GivetoCuba.org campaign.
Taste of a Nation with Padma Lakshmi: Mojo-Ho Christmas (Hulu, December 2021)
Locals gather at vigil to honor 659 detained Cubans ahead of ongoing protests (WLRN, November 2021)
How the Cuban Diaspora Finds Its Place in Miami Through Food and Culture (Eating Well, August 2021)
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas visits Miami-Dade County (Local 10, August 2021)
Mayorkas to meet with Cubans, Haitians in South Florida (Miami Herald, August 2021)
Biden will meet Cuban American activists at the White House on Friday (Miami Herald, July 2021)
Cubans in United States rally behind anti-government protesters in Cuba (NBC News with Morgan Radford, July 2021)
