The Mirabal Sisters Among Time's 100 Most Influential Women

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Patria, Minerva and Teresa Mirabal are legend in the Dominican Republic: the three sisters who lived in a rural community on that island were fierce opponents of the dictatorial regime that led their country for three decades, a fight that led to a brutal death in 1960.

Today, they rank high on Time magazine's list of the 1,000 most influential women in the past 100 years. The prestigious publication points to the leadership, the fight and the subsequent assassination of the sisters who defied the regime of President Rafael L. Trujillo by blows, events that made them world symbols of women's rights and Dominican democracy.

"Once, Minerva dismissed her allies' fears for her life and said, 'If they kill me, I will lift my arms from the grave and be stronger.' She kept the promise. The murder of the three sisters, aged 36, 34 and 25 on November 25, 1960, outraged the public and was a key trigger for the murder of Trujillo, "the publication quotes.

The magazine's 89 covers, running from 1920 to date, also include, among others, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama, Greta Thunberg, Marilyn Monroe and Madonna.

The murder of the Mirabal sisters has also been immortalized in books and movies. On the day of the events, on November 25, 1960, the car in which the sisters were traveling - which was being driven by Rufino de la Cruz - was intercepted by members of the Dominican secret police. The sisters were stoned, hanged, and thrown into a cliff in the car to simulate that they died in a traffic accident. The driver was also killed.

In her honor, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. According to UN Women data, globally 1 in 3 women suffers violence at some point in their lives, mainly by a sentimental partner.