Tereza de Benguela Award Honors Black Women Across Brazil

The Movimento Negro Unificado (MNU) is presenting the Tereza de Benguela award in two Brazilian cities this week. In Fortaleza, Ceará, the seventh edition will recognize seven black women—Sandra Caetano, a quilombola leader; Terezinha, a teacher and community activist; Nairobi Souza, a trans activist and environmentalist; Cícera Barbosa, a popular educator; Cilene Silva, a community leader; Raquel Viana, former MNU coordinator; and Neide Rodrigues, CEO of Casa de Xicas. The ceremony is scheduled for 24 July at the Adufc venue and will be open to the public.

In Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, the second edition will honor 15 black women, including public‑relations professional Ana Lúcia Ribas of the Bantu dance collective. The event will take place on 23 July at the Teatro Pedro Parenti, organized by the Coordenadoria da Igualdade Racial, the state Secretariat of Public Security and Social Protection, MNU and the Rolê das Pretas. Both ceremonies coincide with the International Day of Afro‑Latin‑Caribbean Black Women (25 July) and celebrate the legacy of the 18th‑century quilombola leader Tereza de Benguela.