[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast] Duration - 6:00

The deep crisis currently affecting Cuba is a direct consequence of decades of U.S. sanctions, and now it’s taking its most recent form as an oil blockade. Many people in the United States disagree with their government’s policy toward Cuba, including Niki Franco.

Franco, a Puerto Rican writer and activist living in the United States, traveled with the Nuestra América Convoy to deliver humanitarian aid and see what daily life in Cuba is like under these U.S. policies.

“I always invite people to learn about Cuba’s history of solidarity with other nations. You can look at any continent and find examples of Cuba helping others,” Niki told Belly of the Beast journalist Liz Oliva Fernández.

During the conversation, Niki reflects on her own responsibility, and that of all U.S. citizens, to understand the connection between U.S. foreign policy and the hardships endured by millions of Cubans.