End the Cuban Embargo. Now.

On the coat of arms of the Cuban military lies a palm tree. Though the palm is meant to represent prosperity, a more fitting symbol of modern Cuba would have to be what is seen in the background of the seal: a desert.

The U.S. passed an embargo on almost all exports to Cuba on February 7, 1962, as punishment for alleged human rights abuses and a refusal to move toward democracy in the brief period before the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the embargo wasn’t the only thing that hurt Cuba’s economy; the Helms-Burton Act, passed in 1996, strengthened the embargo and essentially cut off all U.S. aid to the country. Further legislation of subsequent years prevented families from visiting or meeting their relatives still living in the “communist” country. Cubans have suffered immensely at the hands of the embargo, and it’s clear that it has got to go.

The negative economic impact of the Cuban embargo goes both ways. America has stripped itself of nearly $4.84 billion per year since the enactment of the embargo. That’s $4.84 billion that could have been spent on aiding Cuba and fighting poverty, crime, and corruption in Latin America. Cuba is currently in a state of humanitarian crisis, facing shortages of food, clothing, and essential medical supplies. Its people are poor and suffering more and more each day. “It was really rough, blackouts, no food at all. [...] I don’t want to go back to that,” said Ariadne Medina, a 47-year-old worker in a restaurant who, when interviewed, was waiting to buy food in one of Cuba’s many hours-long supply lines. About 85 percent of medical and hygiene products in Cuba are imported from other countries, meaning that day-to-day medical supplies such as painkillers and women's products have become unaffordable for hundreds of thousands of people. Foreign companies, previously able to design and build water infrastructure and pipe systems in impoverished towns, are barred from conducting basic business in the country.

Supporters of the embargo often ignore the meaningful steps that Cuba has taken to overcome its dark past and enter a new era of progress. The Cuban government is set to pass a new constitution on April 10, giving property rights, more freedom to the LGBT community, and protections to human freedoms. After decades of turmoil and tension on the international stage, Cuba now seeks better relations with the world, and we shouldn’t punish it for that. If the point of our embargo was to punish Cuba for its abuses of human rights, it’s only logical that it should be lifted once the country resolves its problems—something that is already happening.

For the sake of the people of Cuba, lift the embargo. The Cuban military’s coat of arms may not change, but it takes just one piece of legislation to change the lives of millions.