By Nelson Santana and Emmanuel Espinal
June 14,2025
Leer en español: A 66 años del Movimiento 14 de Junio: José Mesón, la resistencia dominicana y el legado de la libertad
Today, on June 14, 2025, we commemorate the 66th anniversary of the historic expedition that sought to end one of Latin America's most brutal dictatorships: the regime of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. On this day in 1959, dozens of freedom fighters — many of them exiles — landed in the Dominican Republic with one goal: to liberate their country. Among these brave individuals was José Mesón Acosta.
José Mesón: From the Heart of the Regime to the Frontlines of Revolution
In ESENDOM’s 2017 article Remembering the Heroes of June 14: José Mesón and the Revolutionaries, we tell the story of this former Dominican Navy sergeant. After years of service, including time as bodyguard to Ramfis Trujillo and mechanic aboard the Trujillo family’s yacht, Mesón broke ties with the regime while in New York. He soon joined a group of anti-Trujillo exiles and later took part in the June 14 Expedition, which launched from Cuba.
Mesón captained the ship Carmen Elsa, which faced sabotage and nearly sank. His skills saved the vessel and the 96 freedom fighters aboard. Upon landing in Maimón, they were met with firepower from Trujillo’s army. Mesón was injured, captured, and later tortured mercilessly at La Cuarenta, the infamous prison for political dissidents. Labelled a traitor, he was electrocuted, mutilated, and paraded in public — a grotesque warning from the regime.
📰 Read the full José Mesón article here.
Trujillo’s Machinery of Terror
Over the years, ESENDOM has documented how Trujillo’s reign was built on fear. In Trujillo’s Machinery of Terror (2016), María Encarnación details how the regime deployed networks of spies, Cuban torturers, and brutal methods to suppress dissent and control the Dominican population.
The People Resisted from Day One
Dominicans never accepted tyranny in silence. In Dominicans Fought Trujillo's Regime From Day One (2016), ESENDOM highlights how the middle class, sugar workers, cigar makers, and bakers bravely organized protests throughout the 1930s, even as the countryside remained isolated from urban resistance.
Feminism, Exile, and Resistance: Untold Histories
In our interview with historian Elizabeth Manley, The Paradox of Paternalism, we explore how Dominican women — feminists, teachers, revolutionaries, and mothers fought against dictatorship in visible and invisible ways. Their contributions reveal the gendered dimensions of both resistance and repression.
📰 Read the full interview here.
Trujillo’s Death Sparked a Dominican Spring
Trujillo’s assassination on May 30, 1961, marked more than just the fall of a dictator. As we reflect in Trujillo’s Death Was the Beginning of Dominican Spring (2018), it ignited a broader movement toward democracy, even as the country faced new challenges in the decades that followed.
Conclusion: 66 Years Later, We Still Remember
Today, ESENDOM honors the legacy of José Mesón, Mayobanex Vargas, the Mirabal Sisters, Carmen Natalia, Josefina Padilla, and so many others — named and unnamed — who gave their lives for a freer Dominican Republic.
Let this day serve as a moment of reflection and a renewed commitment to historical memory, social justice, and national dignity.