Alba Roballo
Alba Roballo | |
---|---|
Isla Cabellos, Artigas Department, Uruguay | |
Died | 3 September 1996 | (aged 88)
Nationality | Uruguayan |
Occupation(s) | lawyer, writer, politician |
Years active | 1939–1993 |
Alba Roballo (4 August 1908 – 3 September 1996) was a
After the 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état, Roballo became the target of numerous raids by the authorities for her outspokenness against the military regime which ran the country until 1984. When the dictatorship ended, she unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat. She continued to serve on the directorate of the Frente Amplio, introducing legislation projects for social improvement through 1993, when she briefly served in the Senate again. Roballo died in 1996, but has been remembered by many memorials throughout the country including stamps issued in her likeness, streets and colonies named after her, as well as plazas and cultural centers.
Early life and education
Alba Rosa Roballo Berón was born on 4 August 1908
During her childhood, the family moved to Salto, Artigas, and Palma Sola , where her mother had various teaching jobs and Roballo completed her primary education.[1][3][4] An avid reader, from a young age she was a keen observer of the conditions affecting the people living around her and began to speak about alleviating poverty.[4] She completed her secondary schooling at the Liceo No. 1 in Artigas and then furthered her education at the University of the Republic.[1] She studied teaching, earned a degree in philosophy, and began her career teaching at the school her mother operated on Dr. Pablo de María Street in Montevideo.[4][5] Continuing her education, Roballo enrolled in the male-dominated law school at the university.[5] While still studying, she married Walter Previtali with whom she had a son, Sergio Previtali.[1] She joined the Federación de Estudiantes de la Universidad de Derecho (Student Federation of the University of Law) and was active in anti-fascist demonstrations in support of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War.[5][4]
When in 1933,
Career
Writing (1940–1992)
Roballo founded the magazine Mujer Batllista (Batllist Woman) in the early 1940s, which she used to put forward her political ideas.[5] She published her first book of poems, Se levanta el sol (The Sun Rises), in 1942, which was honored by the Ministry of Public Instruction with first prize in the literary competition that year.[1][4] Her written works, which were both prose and poetry, reflected her vigorous and rebellious spirit.[7] In an "agonist" style, they explored her anxiety, pain, and fatigue with social conditions but also her deep love for her homeland.[7] The themes in Roballo's written works echoed her public commitment to provide empathy, comfort, and motivation, but exposed the struggle and anguish that accompany sensitivity to the social environment and the challenges of life.[7] For example, Tiempo de lobos (Time of Wolves, 1970) evaluates the climate of terror and suffering which occurred during the dictatorship.[1] Her works were introduced abroad by Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet and diplomat; Alfonso Reyes, the Mexican writer and philosopher; and César Tiempo, an Argentine screenwriter.[1][4] She also founded the weekly journal, El Pregón (The Proclamation),[8] which became the mouthpiece for her political movement of the same name.[4] Her literary output spanned her career, with her final publication, La casa del humo (The House of Smoke), in 1992.[5]
Political career (1947–1971)
Roballo became chair of the Cajas de Asignaciones Familiares, Vicente (Family Allowance Fund, Vicente) in 1947.[1][8] Family Allowance Funds were established in Uruguay in 1943 to improve worker earnings and provide financial compensation to workers' families, especially those with children, who were experiencing hardship.[9] From 1951 to 1954, she served as the vice president of the Caja de Jubilaciones (Pension Fund).[1] In 1954, Roballo ran for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, but when she was defeated by only a small margin, President Luis Batlle appointed her to chair the Caja Rural (Rural Fund), which oversaw the distribution of pensions in the countryside.[10]
At the same time, in 1954, she was elected as vice president of the Concejo Departamental de Montevideo (Montevideo Departmental Council), marking the first time a woman had served on the council and been involved in the leadership of the city government.
Roballo was elected Senator in 1958, as the only woman serving at that time in the General Assembly.[10][12] She was re-elected in 1962 and 1966.[1] During her time in the Senate, she championed legislation directed at improving the lives of the poor and women.[1][4] In the 1958 session, she authored Law No. 12.572, commonly known as the Ley Madre (Mother's Law) which granted paid leave for six weeks before and six weeks after pregnancy for working women or a state salary for women who were unemployed during their gestation period. The law was a landmark protection for women's rights.[1][13] She also worked on legislation to recognize unmarried partnerships, and measures to provide equal opportunities and limit exploitation of workers.[4]
In 1968, Roballo was selected by President
In the run-up to the 1971 election, Roballo united with Zelmar Michelini, a former member of the Colorado Party, and other leftist party members to form the new Frente Amplio (Broad Front) coalition.[1] Though she had quit the Colorado Party, Roballo continued to follow Batllist ideology throughout her career. She claimed that she had to leave the party to save Batllism, bringing its tenets to the Frente Amplio.[4][13] Among the founding members of Frente Amplio that year, candidates who had earlier been Batllists included Michelini, Roballo, Enrique Martínez Moreno, and Enrique Rodríguez Fabregat for the Senate; and Hugo Batalla and Sergio Previtali, Roballo's son, for Deputies.[4][17] Despite standing for re-election, Roballo was not returned to the Senate in 1971,[Notes 2] though the Frente Amplio unexpectedly succeeded with five Senators and 18 deputies winning seats in the coalition's first election.[17]
Later career (1973–1993)
After the 1973 coup d'état, Roballo suffered persecution for her outspokenness against the military. Her home was raided several times during the 12-year dictatorship.[1] In her early career, Roballo rarely acknowledged her African heritage, though she often was accompanied at rallies by Candombe drummers.[19] Like other Afro-Uruguayans, she was referred to by the color of her skin and called La Negra Roballo, which she deemed pejorative.[12] As she aged, Roballo began to be more open about her heritage and the discrimination she had faced as a woman, a black, and a left-leaning politician.[19][20] In describing herself, she said "Yo era la negra que le gustaba el vino, la que tenía costumbres difíciles y se juntaba con los negros del barrio Sur". (I was the black woman who liked wine, the one with difficult customs, and who met with blacks in the South Quarter.)[4]
After
Death and legacy
Roballo died on 3 September 1996 in Montevideo.
Works
- Roballo, Alba (1942). Se levanta el sol [The Sun Rises] (in Spanish). Montevideo. )
- Roballo, Alba (1952). La tarde prodigiosa [The Prodigious Evening] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Prometeo. OCLC 1180290324.
- Roballo, Alba (1959). Canto a la tierra perdida [Song to the Lost Land] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Imprenta Libertad. OCLC 835486725.
- Roballo, Alba (1962). Mayo de cenizas [May of Ashes] (in Spanish). Montevideo.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[1][11] - Roballo, Alba (1963). Réquiem para Miguel [Requiem for Miguel] (in Spanish). Montevideo.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[1][11] - Roballo, Alba (1967). Poemas sin fecha [Undated Poems] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Alborada. OCLC 253551344.
- Roballo, Alba (1968). El libro de los adioses [The Book of Goodbyes] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Ediciones Avanzar. OCLC 1899896.
- Roballo, Alba (1969). Nunca adiós y relatos [Never Goodbye and Stories] (in Spanish). Montevideo.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[1] - Roballo, Alba (1970). Relato y testimonio [Stories and Testimony] (in Spanish). Montevideo.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[1] - Roballo, Alba (1970). Tiempo de lobos [Time of Wolves] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Sandino. OCLC 2419241.
- Roballo, Alba (1971). Poemas del miedo [Poems of Fear] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Bouzout. OCLC 978062393.
- Roballo, Alba (1981). Heredaras la tierra [Inherit the Earth] (in Spanish). Montevideo: Garcia. OCLC 252851724.
- Roballo, Alba (1984). La fábrica de la locura [The Factory of Madness] (in Spanish). Córdoba, Argentina: El Cid Editor. OCLC 18442083.
- Roballo, Alba (1988). Antología [Anthology] (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Ediciones Libros de Tierra Firme. OCLC 253023048.
- Roballo, Alba (1992). La casa de humo [The House of Smoke] (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Ediciones Libros de Tierra Firme. OCLC 912760877.
Notes
- ^ Palermo gives her date of birth as 4 June 1909,[1] but this appears incorrect as her birth was indexed in Uruguay in 1908.[2]
- ^ Both historian George Reid Andrews and writer Eduardo R. Palermo stated that Roballo retained her Senate seat in 1971, serving until the coup d'état in 1973.[1][12] The hommage presented by Óscar Groba to the Uruguayan legislature in 2018 states "En las elecciones de noviembre de 1971, la Lista 9988 sacó 31.000 votos, de los cuales 18.000 eran de Montevideo; no era la votación esperada. Michelini conservó su escaño, pero Roballo no salió reelecta..." [In the elections of November 1971, the List 9988 (Broad Front) obtained 31,000 votes, of which 18,000 were from Montevideo; it was not the expected vote. Michelini retained his seat, but Roballo was not re-elected..."].[17] Uruguayan historian, Julio Lista Clericetti, confirms in his work Historia Politica Uruguaya 1938–1972, "Para las elecciones dei 71...Alba Roballo también adhirió a este sector...al Frente, lo que le acarreó la pérdida de su banca en el Senado." ["For the elections of 71...Alba Roballo also joined this sector...the Front, which led to the loss of her seat in the Senate".][18]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Palermo 2016.
- ^ Registro Civil 1908.
- ^ a b c d e Diario de Sesiones 2018, p. 32.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Años Bicentenario 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Diario de Sesiones 2018, p. 33.
- ^ LaRed21 2002.
- ^ a b c Diario El Pueblo 2019.
- ^ a b c Department of Urban Planning 2012.
- ^ Caristo 2005, pp. 23–24.
- ^ a b c d e Diario de Sesiones 2018, p. 34.
- ^ a b c d e Caras y Caretas 2018.
- ^ a b c d Andrews 2010, p. 164.
- ^ a b Arizmendi 2008, p. 3.
- ^ Diario de Sesiones 2018, pp. 34–35.
- ^ Arceneaux 2001, p. 185.
- ^ Faraone 2003, p. 236.
- ^ a b c d e f Diario de Sesiones 2018, p. 36.
- ^ Lista Clericetti 1984, p. 87.
- ^ a b Andrews 2010, pp. 164–165.
- ^ Alonso 1986, p. 4.
- ^ Gilio 1988, p. 12.
- ^ El País 1996.
- ^ Departmental Board 2002.
- ^ LaRed21 2010.
- ^ Radio Monte Carlo 2015.
- ^ Presidencia 2019.
- ^ Radio Uruguay 2020.
Bibliography
- Alonso, Amalia (July 1986). "Dra. Alba Roballo...'arremeter contra imágenes que nos atan a un costado de la vida'" [Dr. Alba Roballo...'Rushing forward against images that keep us tied to the margins of life']. Cotidiano Mujer (in Spanish). 1 (9). Montevideo: Colectivo Cotidiano Mujer: 4. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-8078-9960-1.
- Arceneaux, Craig L. (2001). Bounded Missions: Military Regimes and Democratization in the Southern Cone and Brazil. University Park, Pennsylvania: ISBN 0-271-02103-9.
- Arizmendi, Rubens (26 June 2008). "Alba Roballo: 'Donde vaya, seré batllista'" [Alba Roballo: "Wherever I go I will stay a Batllist"] (PDF). Opinar (in Spanish). No. 27. Montevideo. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- Caristo, Anna (September 2005). "Asignaciones Familiares en el Uruguay" [Family Allowances in Uruguay]. Comentarios de Seguridad Social (in Spanish) (8). Montevideo: Banco de Previsión Social: 21–32. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- Faraone, Roque (2003). "Media Reform in Uruguay: A Case Study in Mature Transition". In Price, Monroe E.; Rozumilowicz, Beata; Verhulst, Stefaan G. Monroe E. (eds.). Media Reform: Democratizing the Media, Democratizing the State. London: ISBN 978-1-134-54436-3.
- Gilio, María Esther (14 October 1988). "La vida es un acto de heroísmo" [Life Is an Act of Heroism] (PDF). Brecha (in Spanish). Montevideo, Uruguay. pp. 12–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- Lista Clericetti, Julio (1984). Historia Política Uruguaya 1938-1972 [Uruguayan Political History 1938–1972] (in Spanish). Montevideo: n. s. OCLC 1070488674.
- Palermo, Eduardo R. (2016). "Roballo, Alba (1909–1996), lawyer, political leader, writer, and poet". In Knight, Franklin W.; ISBN 978-0-199-93580-2. – via Oxford University Press's Reference Online (subscription required)
- "Acta Nº 1044: Sesión Ordinaria 3 de Octubre del 2002" [Act Nº 1044: Ordinary Session of 3 October 2002]. Junta Departamental de Montevideo (in Spanish). Montevideo: Departmental Board of Montevideo. 3 October 2002. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Alba Roballo, política uruguaya" [Alba Roballo, Uruguayan Politician]. El País (in Spanish). Montevideo. EFE. 5 September 1996. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Colonias con nombre de mujer: El 68% de las adjudicaciones del Instituto de Colonización son de titularidad conjunta desde hace cinco años" [Colonies with a Woman's Name: 68% of the Adjudications of the Colonization Institute Have Been Jointly Owned for Five Years]. Presidencia (in Spanish). Montevideo: Office of the President. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Diputados rindió homenaje a Alba Roballo al cumplirse 110 años de su nacimiento". Caras y Caretas. Montevideo. 4 September 2018. ISSN 1688-9460. Archived from the originalon 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- "Exlegisladora Alba Roballo (Homenaje)" [Ex-Legislator Alba Roballo (Homage)] (PDF). Diario de Sesiones (in Spanish). XLVIII Legislatura (4183). Montevideo: República Oriental del Uruguay: 31–43. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original(PDF) on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "IM inaugura plaza Alba Roballo en Bella Italia" [IM Inaugurates Alba Roballo Plaza in Bella Italia]. Radio Monte Carlo Uruguay (in Spanish). Montevideo: Radio Monte Carlo. 7 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Inauguran el centro cultural Alba Roballo" [Inaugurates the Cultural Center Alba Roballo]. Radio Uruguay (in Spanish). Montevideo: Radiodifusión Nacional del Uruguay. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Julio C. Grauert: un olvidado de la historia oficial" [Julio C. Grauert: One Forgotten in the Official History]. LaRed21 (in Spanish). Montevideo. 26 October 2002. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- "Nomenclator: Dra. Alba Roballo" [Nomenclature: Dr. Alba Roballo] (PDF). artigas.gub.uy (in Spanish). Artigas, Uruguay: Departamento de acondicionamiento urbano. June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Poeta: la faceta menos conocida de Alba Roballo" [Poet: the Lesser-known Side of Alba Roballo]. Diario El Pueblo (in Spanish). Salto, Uruguay. 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- "Presentan sello postal por el Día Internacional de la Mujer" [Presenting a Postage Stamp for International Women's Day]. LaRed21 (in Spanish). Montevideo. 6 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Protagonistas de Neuestra América: Alba Roballo" [Protagonists of Our America: Alba Roballo]. 200 Años Bicentenario Argentino (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Dirección General de Cultura y Educcación, Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. 2016. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- "Registro Civil, 1900–1937: Alba Rosa Roballo Veron". FamilySearch (in Spanish). Montevideo: Dirección General de Registro de Estado Civil. 1908. Microfilm #2274447, record #46, image=660. Retrieved 13 September 2020. – via FamilySearch (subscription required)
Further reading
- OCLC 28086733.