Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba Routes through the USA! Getting ready for the border crossing with music and a picnic at Peace Arch Park. On June 15th Victoria Goods for Cuba, Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba (VCSC) and other Cuba solidarity organizations joined together for the Canada-US boarder crossing of the 19th Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba. Over 60 people from Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Washington State and as far away as Britain joined together to send off 9 Caravanistas (7 from Vancouver, 1 from Victoria, and 1 from Britain). Caravanistas are accompanying medical aid, sports equipment, computers and many other items destined for Cuba, to challenge the immoral and cruel US Blockade of Cuba. The event started at peace arch park with Randy Caravaggio, from Victoria goods for Cuba, who outlined why the Caravan is such an important event for Cuba solidarity and why we need to openly challenge the Blockade on Cuba. Than their was music and some words from Tom Rankin, from the CCFA-Vancouver who raised the spirits of the crowd by performing folk music about labor solidarity music, as he got the crowd to singing along. The next speaker was Rick, a longtime supporter and Bus Driver for the Pastors for Peace Caravan, who talked about his experiences on the Caravan and how the route will look for this years Caravan. Then Noah Fine the Coordinator of the Free the Cuban 5 Committee Vancouver, related the struggle that the Cuban 5 are facing in US Jails and how they represent Cuba’s long struggle against the US economic war against the tiny island. Other great speakers were Reverend Al Dale, a main organizer with Bellingham Friends of Cuba, Tamara Hansen, the coordinator of Vancouver Communities in Solidarity with Cuba, and Tom Warner with the Seattle Cuba Friendship Committee. Then the Che Guevara Volunteer Work brigade choir preformed a song about the Cuban 5, as people from the crowd were clapping and singing. Randy introduced 7 of the Caravanistas to the crowd, and each one of them made a statement as to why they are going on the Caravan and their expectations for this exciting and important trip. Two Cars arrived loaded with aid and the Caravanistas started walking down to the Peace arch boarder. There they stated that they were openly defying the US blockade on Cuba by bringing this aid into the US and then on to Cuba. As the cars and Caravanistas crossed the border to the US from Canada, everyone picked up banners and picket signs and started chanting “End the Blockade on Cuba Now!”. Vehicles full of humanitarian aid and the Caravanistas crossed the border without incident. Then on the US side of the peace arch park everyone began to load the aid from the Canadian Cars into the Pastors for Peace truck that will carry the aid and Caravanistas through the United States. The Caravanistas said their goodbyes to the crowd of people and got their bags together, loaded into the vehicles and the 19th Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba was off to a good start for its tour of the United States to challenge this immoral and cruel US blockade on Cuba! Heading for the border! For more information on the Pastors for Peace Caravan and to follow the progress of the caravan this year, please visit www.pastorsforpeace.org	Report Back June 15, 2008 Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba Border Crossing Peace Arch Border Crossing to Washington State Click on photos to enlarge Cuba supporters marched alongside the trucks and cars taking aid across the border to the US from where it will go on to Cuba! Rally participants at the US-Canada border! VCSC Coordinator Tamara Hansen speaking to the crowd after the successful border crossing! (bottom right) Loading all the precious aid donated to Cuba and to break the cruel US blockade!