Black women in Brazil have historically stood at the forefront of activism, advocating for rights and better living conditions for communities in Brazil. Despite facing profound socioeconomic disparities, grassroots organizers and institutional leaders continue to shape public policy and community resistance across the country.
According to Jurema Werneck, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, community activism remains deeply intertwined with the lived experiences of marginalized populations. Growing up in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, in Copacabana, during the nation’s military dictatorship, Werneck noted that early exposure to stark contrasts and inequalities fostered a critical understanding of systemic racism and injustice.
“Activism is part of the way I learned to see the world and understand my responsibility to help transform what is wrong and unjust,” Werneck stated, highlighting the enduring influence of generations of Black women who paved the way for modern human rights advocacy.
The Historical Roots of Resistance and Systemic Risk
Contemporary activism builds upon centuries of resistance against colonial invasion, enslavement, and the many forms of violence inflicted upon Black and Indigenous women throughout centuries of European colonization. According to community leaders, the intersection of racism, patriarchy, sexism and heteronormativity creates persistent vulnerabilities for Black and Indigenous women throughout Brazil.
As someone with a background in public health, Werneck observed that systemic disadvantages—ranging from restricted access to education and poverty to the fact that Black women have historically died younger than both white women and white men—place Black women at a disproportionate disadvantage. Werneck observed that these structural inequities expose marginalized communities to compounding risks throughout their lives.
This climate of vulnerability directly shaped high-profile tragedies, including the assassination of Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco. Franco, a prominent activist, Black lesbian, and favela resident, was targeted by individuals who calculated that her death would carry fewer consequences, according to Werneck. Amnesty International Brazil and other human rights groups subsequently mobilized international and domestic pressure to demand transparent investigations and accountability.
Mobilizing a National Collective Force
Decades of localized organizing culminated in major national demonstrations that redefined political visibility for women of color in Brazil. In 2015, the Brazilian Black Women’s Organizations Network (Articulação de Organizações de Mulheres Negras Brasileiras) organized the first Black Women’s March in Brasília, bringing 100,000 women to the capital to protest racism and gender-based violence.
Janira Sodré, a professor and community educator who supports young people from marginalized communities, noted that early local organizing eventually catalyzed broader national coalitions. Growing up in a community where there was a lack of autonomy over the traditional territories belonging to Indigenous and Quilombola people, Sodré focused her educational work on expanding access to academic and political spaces for young girls and women.
“We deserve to take part in decision-making spaces, in institutional politics, and we deserve reparations for the inequalities we’ve faced and how we’ve been historically marginalized,” Sodré explained, pointing to the ongoing legacy of colonial exploitation that continues to impact traditional and urban communities alike.
Following the milestones achieved in 2015, subsequent national mobilizations have continued to expand in scope, including the Second Black Women’s March in 2025. Organizers emphasize that these gatherings serve as a strategic platform to advance advocacy agendas centered on racial justice, structural reparations, and bem viver—a concept prioritizing collective well-being, dignity, and the conditions for all people to thrive.
As civil rights groups prepare for future advocacy campaigns, community leaders stress that sustained institutional engagement and grassroots solidarity remain essential to addressing historical injustices and securing equitable representation in Brazilian public life.
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