MarielleFranco

"Brazil, it's time/ To hear the Marias, Mahins, Marielles, Malês." It was the face of Marielle Franco, printed on enormous banners, that marked the final stretch of Mangueira's parade, the samba school crowned champion of the 2019 Carnival. In the stands, the cry "Marielle, presente" echoed, and street signs bearing the councilwoman's name multiplied, becoming a craze throughout Brazil. That year, the green-and-pink school's theme sought to portray "the history that the book erased": heroes, especially Black people and Indigenous people, who worked to fight violence and Brazil's brutal segregation. Alongside figures such as Dandara, wife of Zumbi dos Palmares, Marielle took center stage in the 2019 Carnival as the great heroine of our present.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph of a demonstration. In the central part, there is a large sign with the words "MARIELLE GIGANTE" prominently displayed. To the left and right of the sign, people are holding other signs, although they are not fully visible. In the background, there is a building facade with windows and signage. The demonstration appears to be taking place in an urban location, possibly in front of a cultural center, as indicated by the signs.

Black, poor, raised in the favela, lesbian, mother, intellectual, and activist, Marielle Franco was born in Maré, the complex of favelas on the edge of Avenida Brasil. She began her political engagement during a community-run college entrance exam prep course, after losing a friend to a stray bullet. She had already been working since she was 11 years old, to pay for her schooling. She earned a degree in social sciences at PUC-Rio, on a scholarship, and a master's degree at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), where she defended her thesis "UPP: the reduction of the favela to three letters." She always balanced her studies with one or more jobs and with her work in defense of human rights.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph. In the central part, we see a group of people, with emphasis on a woman at the center. She is wearing a black t-shirt with the text "VIDAS PRETAS INTERESSAM" in white letters. Around the text, there are two pins with images of faces and the text "MARIELLE VIVE". The woman is also wearing a necklace and has a bag at her waist. On the left, we see another person partially visible, wearing a white t-shirt with a black logo. The image appears to capture a moment of protest or demonstration, as mentioned in the caption provided.

Marielle's brief political career, cut short so early, was nonetheless nothing like fleeting. Her fight against violence, the oppression of the poor and Black people, corruption, and social injustices was so strong and eloquent that, to this day, even after her death, it continues resisting those who try to erase her.

Marielle worked at civil society organizations such as the Brasil Foundation and the Center for Solidarity Actions of Maré (Ceasm). She coordinated the Human Rights and Citizenship Defense Commission of the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (Alerj), alongside Marcelo Freixo. In 2016, she was elected as a Rio city councilwoman for the PSOL party, with the fifth highest vote count for the position.

Angelo Duarte - Marielle speaking - Agência Tyba

Image description: This is a photograph of a public demonstration. On the left side, we see a man wearing a blue shirt and a beige vest, holding a microphone. He is standing in front of a large banner with yellow and black logos. In front of him, a woman with curly hair, wearing a white dress, is giving a speech. She is holding a microphone in her right hand. In the background, there is a crowd of people gathered in a square, some holding flags and signs. One of the flags has a sun and the text "PSOL." The square is surrounded by trees and buildings of various heights.

In 13 months in office, she introduced bills such as the one advocating the creation of nighttime hours at municipal daycare centers, to support mothers and fathers who work or study at night. She was chair of the Commission for the Defense of Women and was set to be the rapporteur of the City Council committee that would oversee the military intervention in Rio. In addition, Marielle had been denouncing the actions of militias in communities — and this was probably the main cause of her execution.

On the night of March 14, 2018, the councilwoman was shot dead in the head while returning from the discussion group Jovens Negras Movendo Estruturas. Anderson Gomes, her driver, was also killed in the ambush. As if the murder weren't enough, Marielle was the target of a brutal defamation campaign, with chains of fake news that sought to spread a mistaken image of her political work. The street sign bearing her name was even broken by two candidates for state deputy. In response to this barbaric act, countless signs bearing the councilwoman's name have multiplied across the country, on streets, in homes, businesses, and events.