Black Mail Blog

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

Florinda Soriano Munoz (1921 – 1974) “Mama Tingo”, was a farmers rights activist in the Hato Viejo region of the Dominican Republic.  Her efforts aided over 300 families in reclaiming farmland confiscated illegally by a wealthy landowner. Friends gave her the name “Mama Tingo” because of her motherly tendencies.  She was born into a farming family.  Her mother’s name was Bonificacia Munoz, and her father’s name was Eusebio Aquio Soriano.  She became an orphan at the age of 5 and was raised by her grandmother.  She had no formal education and lived in poverty.  In 1951, she married a man named Felipe, who was a farmer.  The couple had one son, Domingo.  Mama Tingo began to advocate for farmers and their families in the Hato Viejo region who were losing farming land held for generations in their families.  The land was being confiscated illegally by a wealthy landowner, Pablo Diaz Hernandez.  Hernandez often used violent tactics against farmers.