Revolutionaries: Dominga De La Cruz Beccerril

Episode Summary

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Dominga de la Cruz Becerril, born on April 22, 1909, in Ponce, Puerto Rico, emerged as a pivotal figure in the fight for Puerto Rican independence. Her early life was fraught with hardship; both of her parents died before she was a teenager, leading to an abrupt end to her formal education around the fourth grade. Raised by her godmother, Dominga was introduced to the worlds of poetry and music, which would later influence her path. After her godmother's death, Dominga faced further adversity, including the abandonment by her husband and the tragic loss of their two daughters to rickets. To support herself, Dominga worked as a seamstress and domestic worker, eventually becoming a lectora for tobacco workers. This role involved reading aloud to her peers as they worked, exposing her to a wide range of literature, including the writings of Pedro Albizu Campos, the leader of Puerto Rico's Nationalist Party. Dominga's engagement with the nationalist movement deepened over time. She began recruiting members for the Nationalist Party, despite noticing that women were often kept separate from the movement's core activities. She took on leadership roles, directing the Ladies' Section of the movement in Mayaguez and founding the party's Nurses' Corps. Her commitment to the cause was solidified after meeting Pedro Albizu Campos in 1933, positioning her as a key figure in the struggle for Puerto Rican sovereignty. The Ponce Massacre on March 21, 1937, marked a defining moment in Dominga's life and in Puerto Rican history. During a peaceful demonstration in support of Pedro Albizu Campos, police opened fire on the crowd, resulting in the deaths of 19 people, including a child. Amidst the chaos, Dominga saw the flag bearer fall and bravely ran through the crowd to keep the Puerto Rican flag waving. This act of defiance and loyalty to the cause led to her arrest and further solidified her status as a nationalist hero. Following the massacre, Dominga left Puerto Rico to escape political persecution, eventually moving to Cuba in 1942. There, she befriended influential Marxists Fidel Castro and Che Guevara and contributed to the revolutionary movement by teaching poetry to Cuban workers. Her life continued to be marked by political activism and health struggles until her death in 1981. Dominga de la Cruz Becerril's legacy was honored by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, which named her Heroin of the Country, recognizing her as a revolutionary who fought tirelessly for her people's freedom and dignity.

Episode Show Notes

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Dominga de la Cruz-Becerril (1909-1981) was a Puerto Rican patriot, activist, and poet known as the “one who picked up the flag” for her act of rescuing the Puerto Rican Flag during the Ponce Massacre of 1937.

Episode Transcript

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SPEAKER_00: Hey, y'all.I'm Erin Haines.I'm the editor-at-large for The 19th News, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics, and policy.I'm also the host of a brand-new weekly podcast from The 19th News and Wonder Media Network called The Amendment.Each week, we're bringing you a conversation about gender, politics, and the unfinished work of American democracy. Our very first episode features my dear friend and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Nicole Hannah-Jones.It's out now, so please go listen and follow the show.On top of all of this, I'm your guest host for this month of Womanica. This Black History Month, we're talking about revolutionaries, the Black women who led struggles for liberation from violent governments, colonial rulers, and enslavers.These women had the courage to imagine radically different worlds, and they used their power to try and pull those worlds into view. Today, we're talking about a Puerto Rican nationalist who risked her life to keep her country's flag in the air during the Ponce Massacre.Let's talk about Dominga de la Cruz Becerril. Dominga de la Cruz Becerril was born April 22, 1909, in Ponce, Puerto Rico.From a young age, Dominga's life was marred by tragedy.Before she was even a teenager, both of her parents died.Her education then stopped around the fourth grade.After the death of her parents, she was raised by her godmother, who introduced her to poetry and music. When her godmother died, Dominga had to support herself with jobs as a seamstress and a domestic worker.At one point, she married, but her husband abandoned the family and their two daughters passed away from rickets. Dominga then got a job as a lectora for tobacco workers. Unlike other factory jobs, cigar rolling was silent.There were no loud machines or clanging tools to fill the hours of work.It was all done by hand.So companies hired lectoras like Dominga to read aloud to their peers while they rolled. For hours every day, she read El Mundo, a Spanish newspaper, French and Bolshevik publications, and the writings and exploits of Pedro Albizu Campos, the leader of Puerto Rico's Nationalist Party.Throughout Puerto Rico's history, there have been multiple efforts for sovereignty, first from the Spanish Empire, a struggle that lasted for more than 400 years, and then from the United States. Pedro Albizu Campos led the movement in the 1930s and was targeted by the United States for it.Dominga began recruiting members for the Nationalist Party, but saw women were kept separate from the movement.She eventually directed the city of Mayaguez Junta's Ladies' Section of the movement and founded the party's Nurses' Corps.In 1933, she finally met Nationalist Party President Pedro Albizu Campos and solidified her position in the fight for Puerto Rican independence. On March 21, 1937, Palm Sunday, Dominga further proved her loyalty to the movement.The Nationalist Party gained permits to hold a peaceful demonstration in the city of Ponce on behalf of Pedro Abizu Campos.People from all over the island marched to the Puerto Rican national anthem, La Borriquena.But the peaceful celebration was halted when shots were fired. Men, women, and children holding palm leaf crucifixes were met by 200 police officers holding Tommy guns.Amongst the bloodshed and horror, Dominga saw that the flag bearer was hit.Dominga ran through the crowd.She would not let the flag fall.She grabbed hold of the pole, and the flag remained waving in the smoky air.That day became known as the Ponce Massacre. Over the course of 10 minutes, hundreds of people were shot in the back, and 19 people, including a child, were killed.Dominga and many other nationalists were arrested.An investigation into the massacre found the U.S.-appointed governor of Puerto Rico at fault.Dominga left her home in hopes of escaping political persecution and eventually moved to Cuba in 1942. In the 1950s, she befriended Cuban Marxist Fidel Castro and Argentine Marxist Che Guevara.Her friendship with Castro eventually led her to teach revolutionary poetry to Cuban workers.Over the next two decades, Dominga bounced around between Cuba, Russia, and Puerto Rico as her health declined.In 1981, Dominga de la Cruz Becerril died. Following her death, she was named Heroin of the Country by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party president.All month, we're talking about revolutionaries. For more information, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Womanica Podcast.Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan for having me as a guest host.Talk to you tomorrow.