Mirabal Sisters: The Butterflies.

The Mirabal sisters were born in the Dominican Republic in the 1920’s/30’s. These young ladies, Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were courageous fighters for women’s rights and advocates to end the horrific violence in the Dominican Republic. Two of the sisters worked family businesses and two went on in school; Minerva went on to study a law degree and Maria Teresa a mathematics degree. They all shared a common interest in community and social consciousness.

At the time, the Dominican Republic was under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Trujillo didn’t lead, he ruled; his nickname was El Jefe or the boss. He was entangled in murder, sexual assaults against women, bribery, and so many other crimes. Under his rule, it was required to have a picture of him in your home, and those who were found not to were labelled against the regime and would often disappear. It is safe to say, the Dominican Republic people of the time lived in fear.

Minerva was unfortunately the first of the family to be impacted by the ruler. During her time studying law, she declined Trujillo after he made repeated unwanted sexual advances towards her. She was subsequently kicked out of law school and imprisoned. She ended up having to complete 3 years of house arrest. Once those three years were up, she went on to achieve honors at University.

The sisters decided to take a stand and start a resistance against Trujillo, with Minerva leading the way. They went on to start the “14th of June Movement” which was named after a massacre carried out by Trujillo which one of the sisters was witness to. Following this, the sisters, and their husbands, began handing out pamphlets educating people on what was going on. This led to them often being thrown in jail. The sisters quickly became known as “the butterflies” as this symbolized a fight for freedom and independence.

In November of 1960, the Mirabal sisters were coming home from visiting their husbands in jail when they were attacked by Trujillo’s soldiers. They, along with their driver, were strangled, clubbed in the head, and murdered. Trujillo’s murderous soldiers loaded up the sisters and the driver back into their vehicle and drove it off a cliff to have it look like an accident.

The public didn’t buy any of the propaganda on this horrendous event being deemed an “accident”, it was an assassination. The women quickly became martyrs, and they are still described today as the reason Trujillo’s power and dictatorship began to fall.

One sister, Dede who took a more passive role in the resistance, remained. She took in all the children and quickly became mother to her own 3 children and 6 nieces and nephews. Dede went on to open a museum in her sisters’ names which is still open today. These women are well known as activists for human rights and against violence. The US has made November 25th , the day the sisters died, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The sisters were listed as Time magazines