Vilma Espín in days of work and combat

When it seems that the usual homage is going to be repeated, each time it is different, marked by the vigor of the present. Even more so on these days of significant events and celebrations of childhood and youth as the birthdate of the extraordinary fighter of the mountains and the plains, Vilma Espín Guillois—born on April 7, 1930 in the city of Santiago de Cuba—draws near.

Truth is, since her decease on June 18, 2007, most Cubans carry Vilma in their hearts in a deep and sincere way, but we remember her more this April, a few days after the election that gave the majority vote to the new Parliament to be ratified on the 19th, a major milestone in the dear leader’s 93rd birthday. And we Cubans know only too well what this victory at the polls has meant.

It also has to do with the heroine because her lineage and our people in general are united by the mambi sap and because her tireless devotion helped us realize that surrender will never be an option, no matter how hard the difficulties may be. It’s the reason that she is ever-present in the renewed struggle of these days, especially in our youth’s fortitude and joy.

There is no denying that we particularly like to remember her with love and respect as the eternal Honorary President of the Federation of Cuban Women, as the guide, standard bearer and good comrade that she was in so many battles for women’s equality and empowerment, and as an educator, mother, wife and family founder known by her tenderness and generosity as a guerrilla with a clear and accurate political ideology, Marxism-Leninism, which in Cuba’s present time is closely linked to freedom, sovereignty, independence and genuine patriotism.

Her well-known serene and very mature behavior as an adult was preceded by very dynamic adolescence and youth, when she was the legendary Deborah of the clandestine struggle or the multifaceted fighter in the 2nd Eastern Front following a life of unquestionable heroism ever since she was born in the city of Santiago de Cuba, cradle of so many Cuban heroes, to parents who instilled in her a love for study, culture, sports and strong civic and patriotic values, which had a decisive influence in the forging of this consistent patriot.

Fulgencio Batista’s coup d'état on March 10, 1952, while she studied Chemical Engineering in the university, strengthened her political education. She missed no important action, from the demonstrations against Batista’s coup to the demands for the return of the constitutional guarantees, the reinstatement of the Constitution of 1940 and the homage to and rally in protest of the death of Ruben Batista, murdered by the regime.

She never forgot July 26, 1953, when Fidel led the assaults on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago and the "Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" in Bayamo, which unleashed bloody repression throughout Cuba, and she gave refuge to and helped several persecuted assailants.

Also worth mentioning are her close links with Frank País, leader of the revolutionaries in eastern Cuba. After the assaults, the young woman joined the organizations that he founded to fight the Batista dictatorship. Both combatants then became members of the 26th of July Movement.

After graduating as a chemical engineer in the mid 1950s, Vilma took a postgraduate course in the United States. On her return trip to Cuba, she was instructed to travel through Mexico to meet with Fidel Castro, who gave her messages for the fighters in Cuba.

In Santiago de Cuba she took part in the armed uprising of November 30, 1956 in support of the landing of the expeditionary force that sailed to Cuba in the yacht Granma. After the assassination of Frank País in 1957, her life was in serious danger, so she joined the Rebel Army in June 1958, for which she not only fulfilled military missions, but also organizational, educational and political ones.

After the triumph of the Revolution, when she became president of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) founded at Fidel's request on August 23, 1960, her life and work took a new and enriching turn that benefitted her and the entire Cuban society.

She was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba since its foundation in 1965 and later on a member of the Political Bureau for several years. At the Parliament, she headed the National Commission of Social Prevention and Service and the Commission of Services for Children, Youth and for Equal Rights for Women.

Thanks to Vilma, the struggle for gender equality, zero violence against women and children, family care, and respect for the elderly and for the founding fathers are closer and more possible goals in Cuba than in other nations. However, we have more reasons to invoke her in these times of hardship and intense and creative work, which find support in the unity achieved by the triumph of sacred, essential and irrevocable values. That is why she is here, in our midst, and that is why we will overcome.