In the heart of Parque Rosado (Pink Park) in the historic district of Santo Domingo stands a memorial to the Puerto Rican poetess and activist Julia de Burgos. Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She was the oldest of 13 children, and since the family struggled financially, de Burgos was the only one who attended school. At 17, a scholarship enabled her to study at the University of Puerto Rico, and after two years, she graduated with a teaching certificate. As a strong supporter of Puerto Rico’s independence, she became an active member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. In her twenties, she married her first husband, published her first poetry book, and traveled around the island to promote it. After divorcing her husband (1937), she began a romantic relationship with Dominican political exile and physician Juan Isidro Jiménez Grullón. They lived together for a while in Cuba and New York City. Their love and political beliefs inspired her poems; she wrote against the Dominican dictator Trujillo and for the centenary of the country. Among them are The Hymn of Blood for Trujillo (Himno de Sangre a Trujillo) and A la Ciudad Primada de Santo Domingo. After their breakup, she settled in NYC. In 1953, she unexpectedly passed out in Harlem and died in the hospital. Her remains were brought to her final resting place in her hometown Carolina. Her 200 poems still live with us, expressing her idea about the legacy of Puerto Rico, slavery, imperialism, love, feminism, and universal social justice. The Dominican Committee for the Celebration of the Centenary of Julia de Burgos commissioned the artist René Alejandro Guzmán to create the bust and dedicated it on February 4th, 2014, several days before what would have been her 100th birthday. The plaque on the base of the bust reads: Julia de Burgos “One of Our Own” 1914-1953 To Julia, for her participation in the struggle of Dominicans in exile, through her liberating and militant poems against the tyranny of Trujillo. Dominican Committee for the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Julia de Burgos. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic February 4, 2014 Parque Rosado got his name after its pink color. There are many benches under shade trees, making the park a great place to rest when exploring the historic district known as Zona Colonial. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more...