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Discovering
the Butterflies
I first “met” the Butterflies during the spring semester
of my junior year at The College of New Jersey.
They were cocooned inside of a weathered paperback
until the syllabus in my women writers course privileged me as the
next person to crack the book’s spine—although, it had
already been devoured so many times that there wasn’t much
breaking left to do.
In fact, the spine was so out-of-commission that
the book’s title—"In the Time of the Butterflies"—was
almost indiscernible through the bends and creases of nearly a decade
of revealing. The writing in larger, thicker block letters wasn’t
as badly worn—the name of the author, Dominican-American writer
Julia Alvarez.
Exposure to this book was also my first exposure
to the Mirabal sisters, better known as the Butterflies, or in Spanish,
Las Mariposas.
Oddly enough,
Alvarez hadn’t met the Butterflies at all when she pieced
together the story of their lives under the harsh dictatorship of
mid-20th century Dominican Republic. She didn’t have the chance,
as she was only 10 years old and living in the United States when
the Butterflies met their tragic deaths in the Dominican Republic
in November, 1960.
But Alvarez knew the sisters.
Minerva, Maria Teresa and Patria Mirabal were ground-breaking revolutionaries
in the Dominican Republic during the time of dictator General Rafael
Leonidas Trujillo’s regime (1930-1961). Minerva was the first
woman in the country’s history permitted to attend law school;
Maria Teresa earned secondary education degrees in mathematics and
biology; Patria convinced the church to offer their assistance in
the revolution against Trujillo. All three of the sisters were successful
as individuals, but their real power emerged when they joined together
in the revolution.
Although he is not usually listed atop the common world history
curriculum, General Trujillo—also known as El Jefe (“Chief”)—was
the fiercest dictator in Latin American history, responsible for
killing more than 30,000 Haitians and Dominicans. These murders
have been referred to as an ethnic cleansing, as Trujillo wanted
the Dominican Republic to be free of Haitians in order to keep his
part of the island as “white” as possible. Trujillo
also headed a strict regime in the Dominican Republic where he likened
himself to a deity and every household was required to keep a portrait
of him hung on the wall next to the image of Jesus Christ.
The Mirabal sisters, starting with Minerva, joined in the country-wide
revolution to overthrow Trujillo and take down the dictatorship.
They adopted the underground nickname, “The Butterflies,”
and did everything they could to help the cause. They struggled
through prison, torture chambers and being separated from their
children, their husbands (who were also members of the revolution)
and each other. These women were a threat to the further “success”
of General Trujillo’s regime—so much a threat that he
had them killed.
As Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were being driven on a long
and lonely stretch of road in the Dominican countryside after visiting
their husbands—who were in prison for their actions against
Trujillo’s regime—they were stopped, ordered out of
their vehicle by what can only be described as a group of Trujillo’s
men, and then murdered. They were fatally beaten, placed back into
their vehicle and pushed over a cliff, where their bodies and belongings
would later be found. While there are no definitive accounts of
the events of that day, it has been determined that what was made
to look like an accident was truly the work of a cruel, stop-at-nothing
dictator who had no qualms about getting rid of people who got in
the way of his master plan, even beautiful, intelligent, successful
women—daughters, wives, aunts and mothers.
Learning, Remembering, Respecting, Changing
It has been 42 years since their murders, but the Mirabal sisters
and their accomplishments have not been forgotten. In fact, there
have been many efforts to keep their name and memory alive. Dédé,
the surviving sister who was not involved in the revolution, takes
care of the Mirabal home in Ojo de Agua in the Dominican Republic—the
home that has been converted into a museum full of artifacts that
once belonged to the sisters. There are also sculptures and monuments
in Salcedo and Santo Domingo, dedicated to the memory of the sisters
and also to the removal of Trujillo, who was assassinated by members
of the revolution less than a year after the Mirabals were murdered.
One of the most important tributes to the sisters, that continues
to be recognized, is the International Day Against Violence Toward
Women, which has taken place every year on November 25 since 1981
when it was declared at the first Feminist Encuentro for Latin America
and the Caribbean held in Bogota, Colombia. In 1999, the United
Nations officially recognized Nov. 25 as the International Day Against
Violence Towards Women.
In commemoration of the lives and triumphs of the Mirabals, the
International Day Against Violence Toward Women, as well as other
celebrations, work to end violence toward women in all parts of
the world and in all aspects, be it rape, domestic abuse or even
lack of rights in the political, economic and social realms. Recently,
the Center for Women’s Global Leadership has started working
for the cause, dubbing the 16 days between International Day Against
Violence Toward Women and International Human Rights Day (December
10) the 16 Days of Making a Difference. During this time, the group
works on spreading the knowledge of women’s rights and human
rights on the local, national and international levels.
With attempts to recover and preserve the past, like those of Julia
Alvarez, the artists who designed the obelisk and the women’s
rights groups who proudly wear their white ribbons on Nov. 25, the
Mirabals will survive into the future. Being informed about the
past is the only way to have a successful future. The deaths were
tragic but they’ve given the rest of the world an opportunity
to demand changes, and that opportunity continues to be taken advantage
of.
¡Vivan
las Mariposas!
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