Antonieta de Barros and the education as an anti-racist strategy

Abstract

TThis article aims to introduce readers to the life and work of the black intellectual Antonieta de Barros, also known by the pseudonym “Maria da Ilha”. Born in Santa Catarina, she was a journalist, educator and one of the first women elected in Brazil, being the first black woman to assume a popular mandate. She dedicated her life to the defense of female emancipation and education, promoting the literacy of poor adults,  defied all the standards of a racist, misogynistic and conservative state in the early 20th century, suffering strong retaliation for daring to occupy spaces hitherto denied to the black population, especially women. She has also written the bill that instituted Teacher's Day in Santa Catarina, made official 20 years later across the country. Recently, these researches that seek to recover the contributions and legacy of Antonieta, who also defended the diffusion of black culture in her home state and in Brazil, have been essential.