Livia Veloz

Livia María Veloz (September 11, 1892 – March 21, 1980) was a Dominican writer, teacher, and feminist activist. Her poetry, novel, and primary school textbooks received several national and international awards. Veloz was a founding member of Acción Feminista Dominicana (AFD), an early feminist organization in the Dominican Republic. Veloz campaigned for women's suffrage and contributed to AFD initiatives such as teaching in night schools for working class women. She is considered a feminist pioneer, and her 1977 book Historia del Feminismo en la República Dominicana is an important source for historians of feminism in the Dominican Republic.

Early life and education Livia María Veloz was born on September 11, 1892, to Juan Pablo Veloz and Adelina Echavarría. Her father was a stonemason and bricklayer. Veloz attended the Instituto de Señoritas, a teacher training college in Santo Domingo, graduating in 1913.

Career Along with Abigail Mejia, Veloz was a founding member of Club Nosotras (literally "our club"), a literary and cultural society for Dominican women. Veloz's first book of poetry, Preludios Sentimentales, was published in 1929 to positive reviews. In 1931, one of her sonnets received an honorable mention in a literary contest sponsored by the Azua Chamber of Commerce. She published another collection of poems in 1936, Accordes, which was also critically well received.

Activism On May 14, 1931, Club Nosotras reorganized into a new feminist organization, Acción Feminista Dominicana (Dominican Feminist Action, usually abbreviated as AFD). Veloz was a founding member.

In 1932, Dominican president and dictator Rafael Trujillo publicly aligned himself with AFD by praising Veloz and other members of AFD as exemplary Dominican women. AFD feminists were given key roles as administrators and advisors in Trujillo's ruling party, particularly in social services. AFD operated eleven night schools for working class women, established a library in Santo Domingo, and distributed baby baskets to new mothers. In 1934, Trujillo finally agreed to a referendum on women's suffrage but warned that his decision would depend on how many women turned out to vote. Veloz was very active in AFD's referendum campaign. She gave a speech in Santo Domingo in which she declared that "we fight not to surpass man, but to be equal to him. Companion always, slave never!" Historia del Feminismo en la República Dominicana is an important source for feminist scholars and historians because it is a firsthand account of AFD and the feminist movement.