Monrovia, June 18, 2020 - On a day like today, but in 2007, Vilma Espín Guillois, a heroine of the underground, a combatant in the Rebel Army and a tireless fighter for the emancipation of women and the defense of children's rights, passes away.
Born in Santiago de Cuba into a family that cultivated ethical values, Vilma assumed revolutionary political positions from a young age. Inseparable collaborator of Frank País in the confrontation with Fulgencio Batista's dictatorship, she was a member of the organizations founded by him until, as part of the National Revolutionary Action, its members joined the July 26th Movement. Under Frank's direct orders, he participated in the armed uprising in Santiago de Cuba on November 30, 1956. A member of the National Directorate of the Movement, she was Coordinator of the clandestine organization in the East, until the constant persecution determined her incorporation into the Rebel Army, where she became the legendary guerrilla of the Frank País II Eastern Front.
At Fidel's request, she led the unification of women's organizations and the formation of the Federation of Cuban Women, to which she devoted herself with singular care until the last minute of her life.
She was a member of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party since its foundation in 1965, a deputy in the National Assembly since the first legislature and a member of the Council of State since its constitution.
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