by Annee Tara
Coastal Journal contributor
BRUNSWICK - Last year, Ken Jones went to Cuba. “I fell in love with Cuba and the Cuban people and culture and came to feel very strongly that our government's hostile policy towards Cuba has to end.” Jones is doing his part to make that happen. This year, he purchased a 1996 GMC minivan and, working with a group of area volunteers, is filling it with much needed medical and school supplies for the people of Cuba. Next month, Jones' van will begin its journey across America, part of a caravan of 19 vehicles from around the U.S.
Jones' van is part of the work of Pastors for Peace and its Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, which for 19 years has been delivering humanitarian aid to Cuba - in violation of the U.S. Trade Embargo against that nation. The vans stay in Cuba with non-governmental organizations that provide social services in their communities. Most of them, like Jones', are brightly painted and stand out on the landscape in Cuba.
Jones has not always been an activist. “Until Pastors for Peace most of my opposition has come in the form of attending demonstrations, writing letters, and the like.” Participating in the Pastors for Peace caravan is an act of civil disobedience. “Being part of this caravan is something more immediate and tangible for me to do in the cause of peace,” he says.
Jones reached out to Tina Phillips, who serves as President of the Brunswick-Trinidad Sister City Association, an avowedly apolitical group that nevertheless supports a relationship with its Cuban sister city under the auspices of U.S. Treasury's citizen diplomacy program. Phillips used her superior organizing skills to engage others in both fundraising and collecting materials. The group enlisted the help of Brunswick artist Kate Maringer who has been painting the bus with a group of volunteers.
Jones is pleased with the impact his involvement in this project is having. “This little bus has already accomplished a lot. It's been a catalyst for people to come together here in Maine, to talk about Cuban-American relations,” he says.
He also believes it will have an effect on the people of Cuba. “It will give something tangible to help our brothers and sisters in Cuba. I want Cubans to know that we are their friends and oppose our government's vicious policies towards them. I also want people in this country to understand that Cubans are not our enemy and we need to stop hurting them. This bus is a peace offering.”
Jones and the bus left Maine on Sunday, June 15. Their first stop will be in Champlain, New York, where they greeted another caravan bus coming from Quebec. They will visit 13 American cities, meeting with peace communities along the way and collecting humanitarian aid and caravanistas. The final U.S. stop will be Crawford, Texas.
Anyone wishing to make a financial contribution to help cover the costs of the trip can make out a check to IFCO/Pastors for Peace and mail it to Ken Jones, 55 Union St., Westbrook, ME 04092.
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