Black Quilmbola Women’s Leadership and Social Justice in Brazil

Abstract

Quilombolas are those community members that have remained on the land of quilombos or the land in which maroon communities lived. Quilombolas constitute a Black ethnic-racial group historically linked to resistance against oppression since the period of enslavement. This resistance, especially as exercised by women remains in contemporary Brazilian society. Despite facing adverse socioeconomic conditions, racism, gender oppression, and class inequality, many quilombola women take on the challenge of community leadership. This article analyzes the role of women leaders in quilombola territories in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The research includes data collected from 41 leaders and 16 in-depth interviews conducted with them. We argue the importance of Black women’s leadership in popular mobilization and in everyday acts of resistance such as collective care. In the case of Quilombola women, the main finding reveals that ancestry is a central motivating factor for exercising leadership and that inspiration comes from mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and other women in the community. Leadership is hard work, but in this context is a response to injustice and is an act of collective care aimed at preserving community life.

Plain Language Summary

Quilombolas are Black Brazilians tied to maroon lands and resistance. Despite racism, poverty, gender and class oppression, women lead communities in Minas Gerais. From 41 leaders and 16 interviews, the study shows leadership grows from ancestry—mothers, grandmothers, aunts—mobilizing people through collective care. Leadership is arduous, resisting injustice and sustaining community.

“I want to stop my leadership work, but I see so much injustice and so many deaths in the quilombos that I can’t stop.” This testimony by Maria Luiza Marcelino, 66, leader of the Namastê Quilombola Community, captures the resilience of quilombola women. Invoking ancestry, her voice joins a long tradition of collective resistance and underscores women’s central role in sustaining quilombola territories. Quilombola women preserve Afro-Brazilian culture, protect nature, defend their lands, and fight for public policies that advance racial and gender equity. Quilombolas—descendants who remained on quilombo lands formed against oppression—constitute a Black ethno-racial group historically linked to resistance. Their identity is rooted in territory and in the pursuit of physical, social, economic, and cultural well-being. These communities are diverse, rural and urban alike. Institutional recognition has grown: the 2022 Census began counting quilombola populations, ensuring statistical visibility. IBGE estimates about 1.3 million people (0.65% of Brazil), present in roughly a third of municipalities, with higher concentration in rural areas—yet inequalities in sanitation, electricity, and infrastructure persist. Amid these challenges, women lead in health, social assistance, and politics, confronting racism, gender inequality, and socioeconomic exclusion. This article focuses on Minas Gerais—Brazil’s third-largest quilombola population—drawing on 41 leaders and 16 interviews to examine motivations, obstacles, and practices of resistance such as collective care and mobilization. Guided by Black feminism and intersectionality, the analysis explores how ancestry inspires leadership, how intersectional identities expand mobilization, and how these women sustain community life. Leadership is arduous, but it remains a response to injustice and an act of collective care that preserves territory and dignity.