Azucena Villaflor was born in Avellaneda, Argentina in 1924. She is known as one of the founders of the “Madres de Plaza de Mayo.” Her family consisted of activists of the Peronist movement, which was based on the political ideology of former President Juan Domingo Peron. In 1949 she married Pedro De Vicenti and had four children. On November 30, 1976 during Argentina’s dictatorship, her son Nestor De Vicenti and his fiancée Raquel Mangin were kidnaped. After six months of her countless searches Azucena decided to join other who had missing relatives or friends and organized a number of events, which she hoped would bring public attention into the “desaparecidos” (the missing). She knew that by gathering people together for the protests, the government would be forced to send out an official response. Her catchphrase “All mothers for all and they are all our children” captured the attention of many. Azsucena did not worry about the risks she was taking and went as far as to arrange a protest movement on April 1977, in Plaza de Mayo right in the center of Buenos Aires and opposite of the government’s building. After there was a ban on gathering or stopping in the square, the women decided to walk wearing white headscarves while bearing the names of their missing loved ones. This protest was filled with political and symbolical significance. They continue to meet every Thursday afternoon and their protests soon gathered the attention of people worldwide. Unfortunately, on December 10, 1977 Azucena was abducted by a group of armed men, from her home in Avellaneda. This was after she had published a newspaper advertisement that contained the names of all the missing children. It was reported that she was sent to the ESMA torture center and into the “death flights. “Death Flights” referred to drugging and stripping victims and then throwing them in the middle of the ocean. A few months later her body was found in a beach.

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