For ALL Women and Girls: Lúcia Xavier on feminism, racism, and Black women’s resistance in Brazil

For Xavier, one of the biggest threats to women’s rights in Brazil is the pervasive violence against Black communities: “It’s not just the woman who dies. Her children, her family members, and her ability to survive and participate in society are also lost. Sometimes, so many people around her are killed that it feels like an endless war.”

Brazil’s Annual Public Security Report shows that 82.7 per cent of those killed by police are Black, and Black youth aged 12 to 29 make up 71.7 per cent of the victims. Over the past two decades, grassroots movements led by grieving mothers have emerged, seeing justice and reparations, particularly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Xavier’s organization, NGO Criola has actively supported these movements and recently published a report on the impact of police violence against Black cis- and transgender women in Brazil.  

“These mothers want to expose the violence committed by the State and show that it is intrinsically linked to systemic racism in the country,” explains Xavier.

Despite immense challenges—or perhaps because of them— the Black women’s movement in Brazil is widely acknowledged for its resilience and strength. For Xavier, Black women’s representation is a key issue and a common thread running through decades of women’s movement. Black women have been attending public hearings, street demonstrations and running for public office.

“Black women [are] powerful political actors, capable of transforming society and reshaping the norms and standards of this country,” says Xavier.

“All of us have been doing [this] our entire lives—finding ways to resist. Many of these women say their pain has also driven them toward transforming society.”

Xavier recalls how conferences like the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995) and the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban (2011) helped shape new frameworks, policies, and higher-quality services for women, largely driven by the Brazilian feminist movements. These advances led to groundbreaking legislation, such as the Maria da Penha Law, which criminalized domestic violence.

While there have been undeniable advances over the past three decades, they have not reached all women, says Xavier, with Black and Indigenous women still facing the greatest disparities. “When it comes to sexual and reproductive rights, we still face serious challenges,” she adds.

She also highlights that sex work, forced migration, and human trafficking have intensified since the Beijing Conference.

On this landmark year, when States are assessing progress in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action and renewing their commitments, Xavier sees the future of the feminist, anti-racist movement in young people.

“Life can be imagined and lived differently; and only young people can do that. Only young people can create new expectations and possibilities.”

“So, be brave”, she sums up.