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Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo born on November 10, 1879 and during the dictatorship of Ulises Heureaux (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulises_Heureaux ), was an Afro-Dominican feminist and author who became the first female medical physician in the history of the Dominican Republic [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul]. In addition to opening the door for the second female doctor of Afro-Dominican background, Dr. Mercedes Heureaux illegitimate daughter to Dominican dictator Ulises Heureaux, who received her medical diploma in 1928 from the same medical school Dr. Evangelina Rodríguez [Women Doctors of the world by Lovejoy, Esther Pohl, 1870-1967.] http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199935796.001.0001/acref-9780199935796-e-99, Early on Dr. Rodríguez’s path to becoming a successful practitioner in the medical field was met with layers of social barriers which included extreme poverty, racism, sexism, and systematic oppression.[Motherhood by choice: pioneers in women's health and family planning by Huston Perdita] Despite the multiple social barriers Dr. Rodriguez faced at an early age, she was incredibly determined and passionate towards her studies that she began working between the ages of 6 and 7 selling cornmeal to fund her grade school supplies educational training at the Escuela Normal in the Dominican Republic. [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul In addition, Dr. Rodriguez was able to acquire additional funding for her academics through the support of a local store owner in the San Pedro de Macorís (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_de_Macor%C3%ADs) community, who allowed her to sell cornmeal in his store and collected the profits. [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul] At the age of 12 she became a part-time home health aid to Dominican Poet and journalist Rafael Alfredo or "Pepe Cándido" Deligne (1863-1902), who had fallen ill to leprosy. This encounter allowed Rafael Alfredo to become Dr. Rodriguez mentor the opportunity led her to attend the Instituto de Señoritas in the Dominican Republic. There Dr. Rodriguez began her college career in pursuit of becoming a teacher. Once accepted into the school of Instituto de Señoritas, there she meets the founder of Instituto de señoritas Salomé Ureña, Anacaona Moscoso who invested and encourage her to become her predecessor as headmistress of an all-girl grade school. In addition, before Anacaona Moscoso passing due to childbirth complication, she motivated Dr. Rodriguez to pursue medical school. When Dr. Rodriguez completed secondary schooling, she continued teaching and in October of 1903 Evangelina Rodríguez began medical school at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo Departamento de Medicina founded in 1538, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Santo_Tom%C3%A1s_de_Aquino) (Predecessor) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universidad_Aut%C3%B3noma_de_Santo_Domingo) during an oppressive time where women were not allowed to professional careers. Dr. Rodriguez received her medical degree in 1909. On December 24, 1911, Dr. Rodriguez received her medical license. Because of her enrollment into a medical school she became a trailblazer for such figure as Dr. Mercedes Heureaux and after the 1940s medical school enrollment for women increased. [Motherhood by choice: pioneers in women's health and family planning by Huston Perdita] [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul]. The day of her graduation Dominican writer, journalist and educated Don Federico Henríquez y Carvajal, wrote a letter expressing his joy for her accomplishment of completing medical school by saying “Honor her and laureate with outstanding intellectual achievement mark. Her thesis of sympathetic hygienic, pedagogical and social theme shows the diploma of graduate in medicine and surgery the intelligent normal teacher Evangelina Rodriguez” was. She is the first doctor of the university institute of the Dominican Republic. To honor Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez is to honor the Dominican women. [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul]. As a young and medical physician of color, Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez attempted to make a living in San Pedro de Macorís but founded it challenging to do so as an inexperienced female doctor. In a time period where women were shamed for wanting to have a career outside the home. As a result of the lack of profits, Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez moved to the region of Ramom Santana which was home to the many who were part of the guerrilla resistant’s and oppose actively the American invasion of United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924). There Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez provided medical and teaching services for greater funds and experiences. In addition, there in Ramom Santana is where she has the first encounter with Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. She witnessed firsthand Trujillo savage tactic who at the time was the military chief and killed families for their land. Dr. Evangelina Rodriguez served the majority of Trujillo victims and from then on until death she denounced and opposes his rule. As a result of her defiance to the Trujillo regime 1930s and 1940s the Dominican Feminist Action {Acción Feminista Dominicana (AFD)} alliance with the regime erased Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez contributions to Dominican history as well as, women’s health care in the island and other activists like herself from official Dominican feminist memories and history. As the Trujillo’s authoritarian regime rose to power beginning in 1935 Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez fell victim to Trujillo’s brutality which led to the destruction of her medical practices as she was shunned by local politicians and her professional colleagues. In addition, In 1935 Dr. Rodríguez survive police brutality as she pursued relentlessly by the police, for failure to show proper gratitude to General Trujillo in an honorable mention she received for her essay, ‘Social Medicine and Protection of the Species.’  [Caudillos and Gavilleros versus the United States Marines: Guerrilla Insurgency during the Dominican Intervention, 1916-1924 by Bruce J. Calder] [Why Dominican Feminism Moved to the Right: Class, Colour and Women's Activism in the Dominican Republic, 1880s–1940s] Although Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez did not see herself as a feminist nor activist, she practices as one by providing free medicine to the poor, providing the public information on treatment of venereal disease and contraceptive for plan parenthood. In addition, to providing medical services, Dr. Rodriguez was an educator and taught at the Young Ladies Institute during the day, and in the evenings at the Laborers and Domestic Workers Night School (Escuela Nocturna para Obreros y Domésticas). In teaching at both schools, she wrote and published her 1915 book titled Granos de polen (Pollen Grains), on hygienic and childrearing that in the hoped that it would reach mothers so that they would be well informed. In addition, her biographer by Antonio Zaglul also indicates that she prepared the manuscript of a novel titled Selene in honor of her adoptive daughter, but destroyed it in a fit of anger. Dr. Rodriguez was an advocate and healthcare provider for most groups of her time. Some were impoverished or destitute mothers and infants, sex workers, tuberculosis patients, lepers, domestic workers, and laborers. She established Mother’s Milk Bank (Banco de Leche Materna), cow’s Milk Dispensary (Gota de Leche), vaccination clinic, Society for the Protection of Mothers and Infants (Sociedad Protectora de la Maternidad y la Infancia), tuberculosis sanatorium, and lepers’ asylum, in San Pedro de Macorís. Perozo also had advocated for school-based sex education, family planning, birth control, and venereal disease prevention and treatment.  Much of her radical ideas as it was seen then for the progression of women’s healthcare came from the influences of her time in France for medical school where she was trained to be a  gynecologist. Once she returned from Frances and saw a high rate of venereal disease, she began to provide free health care to women in need this included visiting the prostitute neighborhood. In addition, to giving free milk to nursing mothers and free food to poor children. Because Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez had first-hand experiences witnessing the disparities and social inequality women and children face in poverty, she became involve in the Dominican Women Suffrage Movement by collaborating with feminist such as, Petronila Angélica Gómez who established the first feminist organization and first feminist journal name “Fémina (1922-1939)”in the Dominican Republic in protest of the United States occupation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronila_Ang%C3%A9lica_G%C3%B3mez By Dr. Rodriguez, publishing information about women health care in Fémina, working with Dominican feminists and challenging Trujillo’s authoritarian regime through community organizing and political awareness, she changed how women health care would be practices in Dominican society. Despite the Trujillo’s authoritarian regime attempt to erase Dr. Andrea Evangelina Rodriguez from official documented Dominican History, she is remembered in the Dominican Republic today, as a pioneer in the Dominican medical field especially as it relates to women health care. She is honored by having the Dominican Social Security Institute (IDSS) reopened, remodeled, and renaming the Dominican Women's Hospital in Santo Domingo and San Rafael del Yuma after her. In addition, to the Dominican Republic establishing and naming the elementary school of Evangelina Rodríguez (Niña) in her hometown of San Pedro de Macorís. According to Dr. Zagluld, during the Sugar Strike of 1946 Trujillo sent his hardened men to San Pedro de Macorís and La Romana to stop the strike by applying his violent tactics. There they chose several of the strike leaders and hung them. To ensure that another strike would not rise, the strike leaders were left hanging for days as examples to others. Through this event rumors spread about Dr. Rodríguez being a possible communist and instigator of the rebellion, as a result, became a further enemy of the regime and orders were sent to find her dead or alive. Eventually, she was found by Trujillo men and was taken for several days where she was interrogated, tortured, beating, and raped. She was later abandoned on a road near the town of Hato Mayor and died days after the event. She died on January 11, 1947.[Motherhood by choice: pioneers in women's health and family planning by Huston Perdita] [Despised in Life and Forgotten in Death: Biography of Evangelina Rodríguez, The First Dominican Doctor by Antonio Zaglul]. Shetty, Trisha. “Andrea Evangelina Rodríguez Perozo.” PediaView.com, pediaview.com/openpedia/Andrea_Evangelina_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Perozo. Alexéi Tellerias. “Andrea Evangelina, Pionera y Abnegada.” Listindiario.com, 8 Mar. 2009, Diario Listin, www.listindiario.com/la-vida/2009/3/7/93586/Andrea-Evangelina-pionera-y-abnegada. Pantaleón, Doris. “Reinauguran Remodelado Hospital De La Mujer Dominicana.” Listindiario.com, Listin Diario, 25 Nov. 2016, listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/11/25/444622/reinauguran-remodelado-hospital-de-la-mujer-dominican.