Segundo Ruiz Belvis

Segundo Ruiz Belvis (13 May 1829 – 3 November 1867) was a Puerto Rican abolitionist who also helped found the Revolutionary Committee which led Puerto Rico's independence movement at the time.

Early years Ruiz Belvis was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico (then a barrio of the municipality of Mayagüez) to José Antonio Ruiz and Manuela Belvis. He received his primary education in Aguadilla. Ruiz Belvis went to Venezuela and graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Caracas. He later earned a law degree from the Central University of Madrid in Spain. During his stay in Spain, he befriended people with both liberal and reformist ideals who proposed the abolition of slavery.

Abolitionist In 1859, Ruiz Belvis returned to Puerto Rico and befriended Ramón Emeterio Betances, joining "The Secret Abolitionist Society" founded by Betances. The society baptized and emancipated thousands of enslaved African children. The event, which was known as "aguas de libertad" (waters of liberty), was carried out at the Cathedral of Mayagüez.

Ruiz Belvis eventually ended up in New York in 1866, where together with Betances and other patriots, he formed the "Comité Revolucionario de Puerto Rico" (Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico) for the independence of the island. They developed a plan to send an armed expedition to Puerto Rico, in what was to become known as the "Grito de Lares". During this time, Ruiz Belvis became ill. He still traveled to Valparaíso, Chile, to raise funds for the planned revolution.

Legacy To honor the memory of Segundo Ruiz Belvis, Puerto Rico has named many streets after him. A school has been named for him in each of the following places: his birth town of Hormigueros, Ponce, and Santurce. In the United States, "Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center" was named for him in Chicago, Illinois, and "Segundo Ruiz Belvis Diagnostic and Treatment Center" in the Bronx, New York.