The Incredible Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic
November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – historically the date is based on the 1960 assassination of the Incredible Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic, political activists in the Dominican Republic. These Dominican women fought tirelessly against the political regime of Rafael Trujillo, considered one of Latin America’s worst dictators. Despite the leader seizing their property and placing them behind bars, the sisters – Patria, María Argentina Minerva and Antonia María Teresa, remained resilient and continued their mission to restore democracy in their country, a battle that ultimately cost these brave, powerful and feminist women their lives.
These much revered ladies are well known here in the DR. They gave their lives to bring democracy and freedom to their country. School children grow up learning about their sacrifice, and their code name “Las Mariposas” (the butterflies) is a well known symbol around the country. The Mariposa DR Foundation works to end generational poverty and is founded by members of the Mirabal family and others who work to promote education for girls. Dominican Republic Properties supports this charity monthly.
To learn more about the sisters, read below, or check out the book and/or movie of the same name: “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez (a founder of the Mariposa DR Foundation). The movie features Salma Hayek and Mark Anthony. For another interesting view, you can visit the Mirabal Museum. Founded by the remaining sister Dede Mirabal, The Mirabal Museo, located on the outskirts of Salcedo, is the second home of the Mirabal family. The museum displays the family’s personal effects. Alongside Patria’s teacup collection and María Teresa’s embroidery, however, are the artifacts of the sisters’ murder: the shoes, handbags, and papers, as well as the long braid of hair which Dedé cut from María Teresa’s head in the morgue. The juxtaposition of the mundane and the tragic in this museum is very powerful.
ABOUT THE SISTERS:
The Mirabal sisters, four in total, came from a well-off family in the rural town of Salcedo in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic. The women were each bright and cultured, with all but one of the hermanas, Bélgica Adela “Dedé” Mirabal, earning college degrees. Sister Minerva was the first of her sisters to participate in the underground anti-Trujillo movement, she wouldn’t be alone long. The three of them helped form a resistance group called the Movement of the Fourteenth of June, which was named after a rebellion attempt to topple Trujillo’s dictatorship. Together, through distributing pamphlets about Trujillo’s abuses and planning revolts, the sisters, nicknamed Las Mariposas of the movement, helped get a large number of young middle-class Dominicans to oppose the leader, a feat that came with repercussions.
Since their death, the three Mirabal sisters have been survived by their hermana, Belgica Adela, more popularly known as Dedé. While she never played a role like her sisters in the movement to overthrow Trujillo, she spent the rest of her life caring for their children and making sure that their descendants and the rest of the country remembered the Mirabal legacy. Dedé died of pulmonary complications in 2014.
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