President Luis Abinader, First Lady Raquel Arbaje, Vice President Raquel Peña and Minister of Women Mayra Jimenez were present for the ceremony inducting Ana Emilia Abigaíl Mejía Solière (15 April 1895 – 15 March 1941 to the National Pantheon (Panteon de la Patria) as the forerunner of women’s rights in the Dominican Republic. She was most active in seeking the vote for women in the Dominican Republic during the Truillo regime. She is recognized for her life contributions to Dominican culture, education and literature.
During the ceremony, President Luis Abinader called for Dominicans to follow her example.
“Now that her remains rest in this place of honor, the best tribute we can render to her is to continue deepening our work to improve the quality of education, to continue advancing in government to eradicate poverty at all levels, to strengthen our actions to guarantee the safety of each person, each boy, each girl and each woman,” said the President.
Minister of Women, Mayra Jimenez highlighted during the event that Abigail Mejia was a pioneer in many areas. Nevertheless, she highlighted the contributions made so that Dominican women could vote and Mejia’s contributions to improved justice, equality for women.
Mejia Soliere is recognized as a feminist activist, nationalist, literary critic and educator. She graduated from the Salome Ureña de Henríquez School for Girls and Liceo Dominicano in Santo Domingo and then moved to Spain with her family where in 1912 she worked as a teacher in Barcelona.
She returned to the Dominican Republic in 1925 and became a professor of Literature, Pedagogy and History at the Superior Normal School of Santo Domingo.
It was during this time that she began her work with the feminist movement in the Dominican Republic heavily influenced by her encounters with feminist thought in Europe, particularly in metropolitan cities like Barcelona and Paris.
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1 October 2023