ABSTRACT
As Brazil’s fi rst Black female writer from the slums, Carolina Maria de Jesus (1914-1977) stands out because she does not conform to expectations that society has for those of her lowly socio-economic circumstances. Through her writing she transforms herself, an empowering act that results in the distinction she enjoys today as a heroine of the Afro-Brazilian women’s cause. Afro-Brazilian women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) celebrate her legacy given the way her life story converges on issues of literary writing and ethno-racial identity in Brazil. Highly regarded by the Black women’s movement, she has also left her mark on the Brazilian Black Movement and contemporary Afro-Brazilian literature. Carolina’s trajectory is unique because she dared to believe herself a writer, a conviction that determined the path her life took and made her mistress of her own destiny. Possessing a spirited and aggressive personality, she expressed her beliefs openly and proudly in a way that clashed with the desperate socioeconomic reality in which she dwelt.
