Que Vaina Mi Vida: Las Hermanas Mirabal

It's been a while since I posted something so I wanted to share some pictures of a little trip that Kelvin and I were able to take with a fellow PC Volunteer and about 40 screaming girls from her community. We spent the day at the museum of the Mirabal sisters in Salcedo, DR.

The four Mirabal sisters were political dissidents during the era of Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic. The sisters along with their husbands were very active in the underground movement against Trujillo and his extremely oppressive regime. On November, 25, 1960, the three older sisters, Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa were visiting their husbands in prison and were intercepted by Trujillo's secret police, murdered and their car was then pushed over a ledge in an attempt to cover up their assassination. The death of the Mirabal sisters was like the last straw for the Dominican people and the beginning of the end for Trujillo. The UN General Assembly declared the day of their death as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The youngest sister, Dede, didn't accompany her sisters on that fateful day and as a result survived to tell her sisters' story. We had the opportunity to meet her and talk with her when we were in Salcedo. She's still such a lively, caring, and funny woman to this day and I was personally honored to meet her. Many Dominicans know the name Mirabal, but don't know the extent of their contribution or impact on the Dominican Republic. The trip was an opportunity to educated the girls on the history and importance of these women.

On another note, the landscaping at the museum, which was the home where the sisters lived for ten months with their mother before their death, is absolutely gorgeous. I told Kelvin to prepare himself because I want my yard to look exactly like that...lotus flowers and all. He laughed and said he would do his best.