Lélia Gonzalez
Photo: Instituto Federal de Alagoas
Country: Brazil, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
Location: Latin America
About
Lélia Gonzalez (February 1, 1935-July 10, 1994) was an Afro-Brazilian anthropologist, politician, scholar and prominent activist of the Movimento Negro (Black Movement) in Brazil. Her work on race, gender, and social exclusion and her intellectual and political imperative for a Black transnational feminism are critical to understanding the importance of Black Brazilian women's intellectual and political productions and genealogies. Born in 1935 in Belo Horizonte and later migrating to Rio de Janiero, she was a daughter of a black railroad worker and an indigenous maid. Later, Gonzalez earned her Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history, a Master’s in Social Communications and a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology. She was a prominent activist in the United Black Movement (MNU), one of the most important Black political organizations in Brazil. With her politics of centering race, gender, class, and colonization, Gonzalez was also integral in the rise of Black women's organizations and was a founding member of the Black women's collective, N'zinga. In her 1988 essay, "For An Afro-Latin Feminism", Gonzalez articulates a critical need for black women in Latin America to unify. Advancing the theoretical framework of "Amerfricanidade", Gonzalez positions the racialized and gendered experiences of Black and indigenous women in Latin America. She was also a founding member of the popular afro-bloco/cultural group in Salvador da Bahia, Olodum.