"Dedé Mirabal: The Essence of Historical Elegance"
Sometimes we meet someone who leaves a great impression. That
happened Wednesday. Elder and Sister Haws, Jenny Jacobs, and we went on a journey to visit the Museo Hermanas Mirabal
(the Mirabal Sisters Museum). The events that percolated out of that one single
event made the entire trip and may be one of the most eventful happenings of
our mission so far.
The Mirabal
Sisters—Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa—are extremely famous here in
the Dominican Republic. They were part of the revolution that ultimately
brought down the Trujillo regime. Unfortunately, three of them— Patria,
Minerva, and María Teresa—were assassinated in a sugar field on November 25,
1960. Their story has been depicted in the movie: In
the Time of the Butterflies, starring Salma Hayek as Minerva, Edward
James Olmos as Trujillo.
Perhaps, the best
part of the trip was having the privilege of sitting down with Dedé Mirabal,
the surviving sister.
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| Dedé Mirabal |
She met us on her back veranda. She was already seated
in a white chair, a warm smile and a shock of gray hair lying gracefully in a
long lock on the left side of her head. Dressed in a blue and white pattern
blouse with a string of pearls hanging from her neck, she greeted us with the
typical Dominican greeting, a kiss on the cheek for the hermanas, and a graceful extended hand to us, her eyes glistening
with joy and love. She beckoned us to sit. I sat beside her, cognizant of who I
was sitting by. I wanted to breathe in her aura, capture every word she said.
She shared with us
salient parts of the story. One important part was the fact she raised her
three children and the six children left behind by her sisters’ death, which
she called “a tragedy.” She currently lives in the home, now painted yellow
with white shutters, where she and her sisters were raised.
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| Museo Hermanas Mirabal |
She talked about her experiences with the Museo
Hermanas Mirabal, which the family foundation runs. She said thousands of
students come to visit the Museo, and
she has the opportunity to visit with them. They like to ask lots of questions.
They ask about the tragedy, but they also ask about her age and how she
feels and what it is like to live now.
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| Orchids in in the gardens |
For an 87-year-old, she looks incredible. Plus, she
said, “I feel great!” Each morning, she walks through the gardens, thinking and
pondering her life and often the past, checking to see which mariposas (butterflies) have landed on
her many flowers, including the stunning orchids in the entryway.
She was so
gracious in receiving us and allowed us to take pictures of her. When I took a
close up, she commented how close the picture was. She wanted to see it; so, I
showed it to her. She was pleased with the photo.
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| Dedé Mirabal and los Hammon |
Soon, we felt it
was time to go. She had given us many precious moments of her time and her life.
She signed her book for the Haws and Sister Jacobs. Reluctantly, we rose from
our chairs. We wanted to linger even longer than we did. We could have sat for
hours and listened to her.
As we bade her
good bye, we couldn’t help but feel we had just been with someone whose history
seeps into the free thought of every Dominican. As we walked to the car, we
asked ourselves what one word described her. Just one word came to mind: elegance. She was elegant—is elegant.
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| Orchids in the garden |
Walking into the street in front of her home, I
personally felt a bit of air rush from my body. Perhaps, it was a sense of
greatness swelling within in. We had just been with someone who played a
starring role in the great history of the Dominican Republic. She allowed us
in, actually took us in, bathed us with her stories, her energy, her love, her
kindness, her memories of a time past, yet still very present in the community
of Ojo de Agua (Eye of Water).
We climbed into
the Toyota Forerunner and sat for just a moment, trying to hoard the moment,
trying to comprehend what we had just experienced. We spent precious time with la hermana sobreviviente (the living
sister), Dedé Mirabal. Los Dominicanos
all know about the Mirabal Sisters; now, we know about them, too, or at least a
mere slice. We knew we had been some of the privileged ones to see her, talk
with her, and feel of her presence.
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| Jenny Jacobs, los Haws, Dedé Mirabal, los Hammon on the veranda |
Thank you, Doña Dedé Mirabal.
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