Dede Mirabal
The Historic Mirabal Sisters of the Dominican Republic
When
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
5:30 PM
Where
Loosemore Auditorium, GVSU Pew Grand Rapids Campus
Description
Dede Mirabal, author of the book "Memories: Vivas en el jardin" (Alive in the Garden), will speak about Santo Domingo and her family history.
Prior to her talk, the 90-minute documentary film, "Code Name: Butterflies," directed by Cecilia Domeyko, will be shown at 5:30 p.m. The film tells the powerful story of the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic, and interweaves interviews with witnesses to the story, including surviving Mirabal family members, their co-revolutionaries, teachers, friends, and colleagues, with dramatic recreations and archival footage.
In the 1950s, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, who were known by their secret name of "Butterflies," created a secret resistance movement against Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants the world has ever known. When the dictator had them assassinated making it seem like an accident, the country rose up against Trujillo and a group of conspirators who had been plotting his death but had not dared to move forward, assassinated him. The courage of the Mirabals, simple wives and mothers who helped bring freedom and democracy to their country, is legendary.
Today, the Dominican Republic owes much to these incredible women who were willing to sacrifice everything and to fight for what they believed in. The day of Mirabal sisters' death, November 25, has been designated by the United Nations as the "Day of Non-Violence Against Women" in their honor.
For more information contact Zulema Moret, director of Latin American Studies, at moretz@gvsu.edu, or (616) 331-2286.