Cuban president recalls Vilma Espín’s legacy

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Tuesday recalled the legacy of women's leader Vilma Espín on the 17th anniversary of her death.

“An emotional memory today for the heroine of clandestine struggle and the Sierra, the revolutionary founder, leader of women’s emancipation, of education in values, of innovation for development,” the president wrote on his X account.

The head of State noted that Vilma Espín is present in every work, with the breath of a woman on the island.

The president of the National People’s Power Assembly (parliament), Esteban Lazo, noted the crucial role of the revolutionary fighter in the defense of women’s rights, in the creation of day-care centers and her dedication to the Revolution.

Vilma Espín (1930-2007) was a member of the 26th of July Movement, a fighter in the armed struggle in the Sierra Maestra (east), together with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and Army General Raúl Castro, her life partner.

Since the 1959 triumph, she worked to guarantee the rights and emancipation of women.

In order to achieve that goal, she founded the Cuban Women’s Federation (FMC) on August 23, 1960, to promote women’s empowerment and their contribution to the country’s growth.

Espín died on June 18, 2007, and his remains rest in the Mausoleum of the Frank País Second Eastern Front, in Santiago de Cuba.