Leocadia Araujo Pérez

Heir to a family of Cuban revolutionaries, Cayita Araújo was born in Santiago de Cuba. She lost her father and six uncles (three women and three men) in the independence wars.

In the Republic, when the Institute of Secondary Education opened in Oriente, she was among the few girls enrolled. After completing her studies, she pursued a career as a teacher. During the 45 years she practiced teaching, she displayed intense revolutionary activity. She led the only teachers' strike that occurred in Oriente against Gerardo Machado, for which she was dismissed. In 1935 she organized another strike against Fulgencio Batista, an action that led to her being dismissed again for five years, in addition to being brought before emergency courts approximately 19 times for this reason. She helped hide several young men who were able to escape from the assault on the Moncada barracks.

Due to her revolutionary record, our Commander in Chief Fidel Castro granted her a Communist Party membership card, which she received at her home from the hands of Celia, Haydeé, and Armando Hart. She also counted among her awards the Ana Betancourt Order. She died at the age of 98.