Minerva Mirabal Reyes facts for kids

María Argentina Minerva Mirabal Reyes, known as Minerva, was a brave woman from the Dominican Republic. She was born on March 12, 1926. Minerva was one of the famous Mirabal sisters. Her mother, Mercedes Mirabal, made sure Minerva and her sisters got a good education. Through their schooling, Minerva and her sisters learned about the unfair rule of Generalissimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. They started speaking out against his harsh government.

Education and Early Activism

When Minerva was 22, she had a difficult experience with Trujillo. She met him at a fancy party and refused his unwanted attention. Because of this, she was put in jail. She was also stopped from practicing law, even though she had studied it.

Minerva’s parents worried that her political actions would put her life in danger. They did not want her to go to law school, especially after her encounter with Trujillo. This led to her being kept at home. She spent her time painting and writing poems. Her art showed the unfairness she felt because of the country's harsh dictatorship.

Six years later, her parents saw how unhappy this made Minerva. They changed their minds. She then enrolled at the University of Santo Domingo. She graduated with top honors. Minerva was the first woman to graduate from law school in the Dominican Republic.

Activism

During Trujillo's rule, groups began to form to resist his government. These groups were made up of people in the Dominican Republic and Dominicans living abroad. Many women joined these groups, including the Mirabal sisters.

Minerva and her husband, Manolo, were key leaders in the resistance movement. They started the 14th of June Movement in the early 1960s. They named it after a failed attempt to overthrow Trujillo's government. This earlier attempt was led by Dominicans who had been forced to leave the country.

After this resistance movement began, many people were arrested. Trujillo's secret police arrested resistance leaders and their families. Eventually, the women who were jailed, including the Mirabal sisters, were set free. This was a show of false kindness from Trujillo. However, their husbands remained in prison.

Personal Life

Minerva was married to Manuel Aurelio Tavárez Justo, known as Manolo. They met in 1954 while on vacation. Manolo was also a law student. He joined Minerva in her fight against the government. They got married and had two children. Their daughter, Minerva Josefina, was born in November 1955. Their son, Manuel Enrique, was born in January 1960.

Assassination

On November 25, 1960, Minerva and two of her sisters, Patricia and Maria Teresa, were killed. Their driver was also killed. Trujillo's secret police stopped them on their way home. They were returning from visiting their husbands in prison. The police then made it look like a car accident. This was done to hide the fact that they had been murdered.

The fourth Mirabal sister, Dede, was not with them that day. The deaths of the Mirabal sisters, who were also known as The Butterflies, had a huge impact. Their murders helped lead to the downfall of Trujillo's government. His rule ended about a year after their deaths. This was because the sisters were very popular across the country. Their deaths were seen as one of the worst acts during Trujillo's time in power.

Legacy

After the death of the three Mirabal sisters, their memory has been honored. This is especially true because of the high amount of gender-based violence in Latin America. In 1981, the day of their death became a special day. It was dedicated to fighting violence against women. The United Nations has also named November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Their story also inspired a famous novel. It is called In the Time of the Butterflies. Julia Alvarez wrote it in 1994. The book was later made into a film in 2001.

See also

In Spanish: Minerva Mirabal para niños