
As soon as I have a small chance we’ll make the official foundation the organization
By Mercedes Machado
The daily routine barely leaves us time to stop and look around. The mornings are always agitated when the mothers take their children to school, and against the clock they say goodbye and begin their work day. The doctor is calm and careful; The teacher who full day of day knows the classroom; The sportswoman who defends the victory; The delicate dancer; The captivating singer; The energetic military, the journalist, the craftswoman, the writer, the actress. Like these, there are many Cuban women prepared in all sectors; But it was not always like this.
Today we remember the 57th anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women (FCW), an organization whose main protagonist was Vilma Espín. Here we present a fragment of the book Vilma, an special woman of the Captain San Luis Publishing House, that tells how the FCW arises:
“When they raised the need to found a national women’s organization I was somewhat baffled…they said that it was very important, “because as you know women are discriminated against and it’s very important to start working with them.”…Well, I consulted with Raúl and his answer was “GO AHEAD.”
“we wanted Fidel to be present on the occasion. I remember that in the months of June and July we started asking Fidel when it could be, and he kept saying, “as soon as I have a small chance we’ll make the official foundation the organization.” It was at that first meeting that it was given the name of Federation of Cuban Women, and it was Fidel who named it. There were several proposals and he said: “Well, let’s name it Federation of Cuban Women.”
Vilma Espín
