Verônica Lima becomes the first black councilwoman of the city of Niterói (state of Rio de Janeiro)

black women Brazil
Verônica Lima of the PT (Partido dos Trabalhores or Worker’s Party) recently became the first black woman to be elected to city council in the history of the city of Niterói which is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Lima is a former municipal Under Secretary of Food Security as well as a student leader whose wants to fight for the black cause.
“I also want to fight for a hospital of reference for women’s health, we need to have day care centers and more popular housing*,” Verônica said, noting that the renewal of the City Council will contribute to the development of public policy.

Lima is also being hailed as the first lesbian to be elected to Niterói’s city council.

Verônica’s history is marked by a commitment to carry out important actions for the social development of Niterói. As a strong, competent and determined woman, she has been since adolescence involved in the student movement and in the fight the appreciation of the public school. Today, her name is associated with an improved quality of life of the population.

Another example that shows Verônica’s competence is her work done as Under Secretary for Food and Nutrition Security as part of the PT. She was responsible for the creation of the Hebert de Souza Municipal Food Bank, the first in the state, whose goal is to redistribute food that would be wasted by industries and businesses to distribute it to families and institutions registered in the program.

In just over a year and six months, about 600 tons of food stopped being thrown in the trash and went to the table over 500 families and 26 institutions that benefitted from the program. In total, more than five thousand people left from starvation and have a better life. All this shows that Verônica’s work can’t stop, and her performance as a councilor in the municipality is critical for the development of effective public policies for the city of Niterói.

Map of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara Bay and Rio-Niterói Bridge

Although most people are familiar with the “Cidade maravilhosa (Marvelous City)”, Rio de Janeiro, less in known about the municipal of Niterói. Niterói is the 6th most populous city in the state of Rio de Janeiro and is connected to the city of Rio by the President Costa e Silva Bridge, also known as the Rio-Niterói Bridge which crosses the Baía da Guanabara (Guanabara Bay).

View of Guanabara Bay with Sugarloaf Mountain to the right
The Rio-Niterói bridge is the 6th longest in the world.
 
Rio-Niterói bridge
 
While cities such as neighboring Rio de Janeiro, the city of the country’s largest economy São Paulo and even the capital city of Brasília, according to research, Niterói is actually Brazil’s richest city in terms of socioeconomic status of its population. Nearly 56% of Niterói’s population is part of Brazil’s class A economic structure, which would be equivalent to upper class. Combining class A with class B, the upper middle class (1), Niterói is also in first place with nearly 86% of its residents belonging to this socioeconomic strata.
 
* – Popular housing or “casas populares” refers to government supported housing for lower income residents

1. For a breakdown of how Brazil’s socioeconomic classes breakdown see this article
 
About Marques Travae 3747 Articles
Marques Travae. For more on the creator and editor of BLACK WOMEN OF BRAZIL, see the interview here.

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