Vilma Espín and her creative work

"Death is not true when the work of life has been well fulfilled," José Martí said, and his words are more relevant than ever these days as we commemorate the 15th anniversary of the physical disappearance of Vilma Espín Guillois, heroine of the Mountains and the Plains and honorary president of the Federation of Cuban Women, who died on June 18, 2007.

Her 77 years were marked by her typical natural and simple manners as her fighting spirit evolved and became manifest in the struggle against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, first in the students demonstrations in the streets of her native Santiago de Cuba, then underground as a member of 26th of July Movement—close to its leader Frank País—and in 1958 as one more combatant of the II Eastern Front of the unstoppable Rebel Army.

As early as on August 23, 1960, as Cuba undertook a number of changes for the good of society, the young Vilma Espín received from Fidel Castro the reins of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), after the Leader stressed that Cuban women were a revolution within the Revolution itself.
One of the most beautiful projects launched by the FMC was the Ana Betancourt School of Dressmaking—a brainchild of Fidel—at Hotel Nacional de Cuba, which hosted thousands of young peasant women, most of them undereducated or illiterate, who were schooled and given access to a world otherwise unreachable to them and would be the first graduates in July 1961, a crucial year for Cuba, marked by multiple aggressions, including the Bay of Pigs invasion.

This was not the only act of justice managed by Cuban women, as they also contributed to the Literacy Campaign, either as teachers, leaders or supporters and played a key role in the spirited mobilizations of volunteers, not to mention the FMC’s humanist effort to offer decent jobs to those who, unfortunately, had worked as prostitutes under previous dishonorable regimes.

The struggle for equality and full participation in the work of the Revolution distinguished the organization under the leadership of Vilma Espín and her devoted team, as did the establishment of the daycare centers on April 10, 1961 for the benefit of working mothers, a project made possible through fundraisers and other promotional events and which has been seriously hit by the intensified U.S. blockade and the pandemic and nevertheless remains a beacon that symbolizes Vilma Espín’s work.

Today, as we embrace the National Program for the Advancement of Women (PAM) approved by presidential decree in March 2021, we recognize the great influence of the heroine and her kind heart, also patently clear in the provisions of the Family Code of 1975 and in the one pending approval this year.

To end a list that could undoubtedly be much longer, it is also gratifying to mention the FMC’s role in Cuban slums through the Women's and Family Guidance Centers, which radiate trust and solidarity to those who seek their help.
Undoubtedly, Vilma lives on in our midst, fully endorsed by her lifetime achievements.