Thousands of black women participated on Sunday (27), in the XI March of Black Women of Rio de Janeiroat Copacabana beach. The event brought together collectives from all over the state and brought the motto “against racism, by justice and welcome”. 
The date of the march was chosen for proximity to Latin American and Afro-Cribe Black Women’s Day, celebrated last Friday (25), and also because July 27 was the birthday of Councilwoman Marielle Franco, who became an icon of the fight of black women.
The Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, sister of Marielle, participated in the march, alongside her mother Marinete da Silva and niece Luyara Franco.
“Today we celebrate at the head of the Marielle Franco Institute and the Ministry of Racial Equality and we are here with a lot of black woman screaming for resistance. We know what it is to be on all sides of the trench and we couldn’t help but be here,” said the minister.
Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 07/27/2025 – The Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, participates in the XI March of Black Women – Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Marielle’s daughter, Luyara Franco, also recalled that the councilwoman’s ideals follow as the institute’s agenda created after her murder in 2018: “Today my mother would be completing 46 years of life and much of this life was dedicated to the struggles that unite us. So being here is very symbolic for us, reaffirms our struggle and the struggle of the Marielle Franco women.”
“Marielle lives in the lives of each of these women and celebrating her life is to be on the street,” added Marinete Silva.
The Rio demonstration was also preparatory for the II National March of Black Women, which will be held in Brasilia, on November 25th.
The communication coordinator of the State Black Women Forum, Jupi Conceição, explained the concept of welcome, which has been a prominent role in claims for decades.
“The welcome covers the right to come and go, to feed, to put food on their family’s plate, knowing that most families are supported by women, the right to be able to walk here in this march, to be able to have respect with respect, without violence, the right not to suffer domestic violence, or femicide.”
In this edition, the track ahead of the march was carried by black girls and young people, representing the continuity and future of the movement.
Student Ana Julia, 17, was one of them. “I’ve been to the march since I was a child, because my mother taught me that with the march, we could have a voice, to fight for what we want. For the future, I want opportunities for study, decent work and less prejudice in Brazil.”
Soon after, the mothers who had children killed by state agents asked for justice. One of them was Rafaela Mattos, mother of teenager João Pedro Mattos, killed in 2020, during a police operation.
About a month ago, the court reformed a decision that had innovated the police involved and decided that they must go through a popular jury, but the trial has not yet been marked. According to Rafaela, the decision brought a hope of conclusion to the case, but did not completely remove fear.
“Our expectation is that the jury will be marked as soon as possible, but the defendants can still appeal, so we are waiting. We have taken an important step, but I’m still afraid that this justice does not happen, because it was many years, and during these five years, the defendants remain loose, we have not seen any punishment. contribute to this delay ”
The co-founder of the Moleque Movement, Monica Cunha, who had a dead son while meeting resocialization in a degase unit, recalled that racism is decisive to explain which mothers lose their children for state violence.
“We are marching in this place, which is one of the most expensive IPTUS in Rio de Janeiro to show that we are diverse women, but we are still in this place of pain, to need to go from mourning to the fight. And this happens because of the racism that reigns over our lives. The march is to say that it has to end.”
THE importance of increasing the political representation of black women was also highlighted. Richelle da Silva Costa was one of the participants of the Black Women’s Movement Decade, who seeks to face this absence, with leadership formation and political training.
“We are the largest demographic group in the country and we want to be in the spaces of power to build and think policies. Not having black women in these spaces strengthens a policy that vulnerates us,” he said.
