By Deborah Rodriguez
July 26, 2024

On June 30, Dylcia Noemí Pagán passed away in her homeland of Carolina, Puerto Rico, for which she fearlessly fought for independence until her last breath. She was 77 years old.

Dylcia was a mother, a Puerto Rican nationalist, political prisoner and member of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña aka Puerto Rican Armed Forces for Liberation (FALN).

Born in the historic old Lincoln Memorial Hospital in the Bronx, New York, where she grew to become a dedicated community organizer, she was one of the founders of the Puerto Rican Student Union at Brooklyn College which later formed the Puerto Rican Studies department. She was a filmmaker, writer and producer and was the the editor for the first bilingual newspaper in New York, El Tiempo.

In 1980, Dylcia was arrested on seditious conspiracy charges for fighting for the independence of Puerto Rico. She was sentenced in 1981 to 55 years in prison. Behind the walls Dylcia continued organizing educational programs, creating a theater company called “The Caged Bird Players” that presented eight theatrical presentations. She knew the significant role family and community played in the lives of the inmates, so she organized an annual Children’s Day where those incarcerated spent time with their children and participated in planned activities.

Dylcia was a mother herself and decided to hide her son from the government prior to her incarceration.

On Sept. 10, 1999, Dylcia and other FALN members were released from prison after a long fought international campaign waged by several coalitions. President Bill Clinton was pressured by this campaign to grant her clemency.

Dylcia was a great artist and poet; her web page is filled with amazing works of art that reflect her love for Puerto Rico and its people.

Rest in revolutionary peace Dylcia!