Gladys Marín (1941-2005) was a powerful opponent of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his oppressive regime. Despite the high stakes and dangerous nature of being such a public adversary, she knew that keeping silent wasn't an option.
Gladys Marín (1941-2005) was a powerful opponent of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his oppressive regime. Despite the high stakes and dangerous nature of being such a public adversary, she knew that keeping silent wasn't an option.
Women’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts are often overlooked, but no more. This month on Womanica we're highlighting women who have spearheaded peacekeeping initiatives all over the world — from India to South Africa to the United States. We cover women like Doria Shafik who led Egypt’s female liberation movement, as well as Coretta Scott King who was a fierce advocate for equality for Black Americans and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Tune in to hear the stories of women who were integral to creating peace in their communities.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Meltem Burak. I’m the host and producer of the podcast, Sesta. We aim to harness the power of arts and culture to foster conversation and build peace in Cyprus. I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica.
This month, we’re highlighting Peacebuilders: In times of conflict, these women have stepped in, bringing their creativity and insight to help facilitate peace across the globe.
Today, we’re talking about a powerful opponent of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and his oppressive regime. Despite the high stakes and dangerous nature of being such a public adversary, she knew that keeping silent would never actually bring peace
Let’s talk about Gladys Marín.
Gladys was born on July 16, 1941 in Curepto, Chile. Curepto is a small town not far from the coast near the center of the long and skinny South American country. Her mother was a school teacher and her father was a small farmer and occasional salesman.
When she was 11 years old, she and her mother moved north to a town outside the capital city of Santiago. Gladys received a scholarship to attend the Escuela Normal. And it was at this point that she became involved in greater causes. She joined her school’s student union. Like many Chileans, she was a practicing Catholic and also belonged to several Christian youth groups.
At sixteen years old, Gladys joined the youth branch of the newly legal Chilean Communist party and was a supporter of the socialist campaign of Salvador Allende. Around this time she met a mining engineer named Jorge Muñoz. They were soon married, and would go on to have two children together.
Gladys and Jorge worked on another of Allende’s campaigns in 1964. Allende still hadn’t won an election. But Gladys found politics exhilarating. The next year, she became Chile’s youngest member of parliament. Soon after, she became the general secretary of Chile’s Communist Youth, a post she held for over a decade.
To better understand Gladys’ strong political convictions, I think it’s important to talk about her country’s political situation at the time. Chile was a democracy, but the rise of the Chilean left sent its relationship with the U.S. into a tailspin. The U.S. government, worried about the spread of communism and leftist movements, tried to prevent the election of Allende.
Much of the history of Latin American history is hugely complex and the way in which we interpret and interact with it is often based in the telling we hear. Gladys was a peace activist and spoke out against an oppressive regime – but from a U.S. perspective, may have been a troublemaker who was furthering the spread of problematic leftist movements.
Gladys’ efforts for Allende finally paid off in 1970. He won the election – but his time in office was short-lived. Though it remains disputed, there are theories that the US government backed the 1973 coup that helped general Augusto Pinochet seize power. Allende made a final address to the people of Chile before he passed away, now widely accepted to be a death by suicide.
Following the coup, life was not safe for Chilean leftists in the country. Gladys’ name was on the new government’s most-wanted list. In 1974, Gladys left Chile in exile and in doing so left her husband and two children – as did many other Chilean dissidents. Tragically, Gladys’ husband Jorge, another target of the Pinochet regime, was abducted and likely murdered while Gladys was in exile. Four years later, Gladys covertly returned to Chile to work against Pinochet from within the country but could not let her family, not even her children, know of her return.
At last, in 1990, the Pinochet era ended. Gladys was finally able to emerge from her isolated secrecy. Within a few years, she went from hiding to becoming the Secretary General of the Communist Party in Chile. In 1998, Gladys became the first person to file criminal charges against Pinochet for the disappearance of her husband. Her action inspired hundreds of Chileans to follow in her steps.
Between 1973 – when Pinochet seized power – and 1990 – when his dictatorship ended – over 3,000 people disappeared or were killed. Artifacts of his time in power still haunt Chile – including the country’s constitution. In recent years, progressive Chileans have fought for a new constitution. Outspoken subversives like Gladys paved the way for generations of Chilean changemakers.
On March 6, 2005, Gladys passed away at her home in Chile. She was 63 years old. In the following days, tens of thousands of mourners took to the streets of Santiago to honor her revolutionary legacy.
All month, we’re talking about peacebuilders. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan, for having me as a guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!