New York, March 24 (RHC)-- In the United States, a conference that brings together solidarity activists and concerned citizens from across the country is taking place over the weekend in New York City, to discuss issues related to normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S.

A reception at the Cuban Mission to the United Nations kicks off the event Friday evening.  The National Conference for the Full Normalization of U.S.-Cuba Relations will be held Saturday and Sunday at Fordham University in Manhattan, with panel discussions and a series of workshops. 

The conference also features a public rally Saturday night, with speakers to include Sandra Ramírez Rodríguez, the North America Director for ICAP, the Cuban Friendship Institute; Andrés Gómez, coordinator of the Antonio Maceo Brigade; and Rafael Cancel Miranda, a Puerto Rican independence fighter who suffered more than a quarter of a century in U.S. prisons.

Activists at the conference over the weekend will discuss actions to continue on the path to full normalization, including the lifting of Washington's blockade of the island and an end to the illegal U.S. occupation of Guantánamo. 

Organizers of the conference said that there is the need for a strong movement in the U.S. that will push for positive change in relations between our two countries.