Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Not just some oily dirt ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: White men losing control ... Jackson County not enforcing GMO ban ... Guest Opinion: Not just some oily dirt ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: White men losing control ... Jackson County not enforcing GMO ban ... PASTORS FOR PEACE Ashland church greets Cuba Caravan with potluck Thursday Four Ashlanders to join 26th annual trek Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 2:00 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Four Ashlanders will join the annual Pastors for Peace Caravan, making their way to Cuba to study the many community-based health, environmental and education systems and to protest the weakened but continuing U.S. blockade of the island nation over the last 56 years.  Coming south from Vancouver, B.C, the bus will arrive in Ashland on Thursday, July 2, with half a dozen participants from Portland and Corvallis. They will be greeted at a social hour and potluck at 6 p.m. that evening at the Presbyterian Church on Walker near Siskiyou Boulevard. Route speaker and photographer-activist Bill Hackwell, will talk. Ashlanders going to Cuba are: Paula Sohl, associate minister of UCC Congregational Church of Ashland; environmentalist Joanne Navickas; Ashland High School graduate Constance Goeke, a potential medical student in Havana; and Brad Jones, a frequent caravan participant and driver of caravan buses. Travel and trade with Cuba has been banned since the takeover by Fidel Castro, an ally of the Soviet Union, in 1959. President Barack Obama recently said he would work to normalize relations, something he can do, and end the embargo, which would take Congressional action. Sohl, who has been to Cuba, said, although the nation has suffered in the embargo, she is “amazed by the vitality of the people, the richness of their culture, the hospitality and music everywhere.” She wants to study their sustainable practices and how everyone has good education and health care.  “We have so much to learn from them,” said Sohl. “We have to challenge the injustice of the blockade. We have to learn their needs and skills, with an emphasis on community organization. We’re going to visit lots of community organizers and learn how they do it.”  Sohl praised the Havana Medical School, which welcomes all applicants and offers full-ride scholarships over six years — seven if you need to learn Spanish. The condition, she adds, is that graduates work for a period in underserved areas in the U.S.  One likely applicant, Constance Goeke, says, “I want to see what it’s like. I want to be in Pediatricians Without Borders.” MaryAnn Jones of Ashland, who has been to Cuba with the caravan three times, said the embargo of Cuba has been unfairly imposed because the U.S. didn’t want tourists helping Communist nation prosper and resisted seeing it charting its own course, “instead of being a colony of the United States, as it was before Castro. The U.S. doesn’t want people seeing free education and asking why can’t we have some of this, here in the richest country in the world?” Navickas, the mother of former Ashland City Councilor Eric Navickas, said, “I’ve wanted to do this for years. I’m going to explore and learn new things, hear lots of great music and learn more about how we can get along — and how we can, in this country, create a better educational and health system.” When she returns, Navickas said she wants to “share all this with people who are younger and stronger and can make things better for people and not having people standing on the street corner with cardboard signs. That’s so sad. It’s a basic human right to have health care, food, an education and a roof over your head.” The potluck is public, with live music by Kim and Rob Griswell-Lowry and Neil Holand of Peace Rock. Members of the caravan over the past 23 years will introduce themselves. For more information, call 541-482-8915 or see www.pastorsforpeace.org.  Caravan participants will visit and speak at many towns, ending in McAllen, Texas. They will travel to Mexico City and fly to Cuba from there. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501