Black Race Trophy is awarded to 20 women

Graça Machel, widow of Nelson Mandela, was the main honoree of the night. She received a standing ovation from the audience on several occasions. She is the only person in the world to be First Lady of more than one nation. She is an advocate of actions for children’s education and female entrepreneurship.

“The women who will come up here have no race, no age, they do not represent a social stratum, they are simply women. It means a lot to me”, said Machel upon receiving the golden statuette.

This year, in a special edition, the Black Race Trophy awarded 20 women — Dilma Rousseff, Luiza Trajano, Aline Torres, Duda Ribeiro, Paulina Chiziane and Marina Silva were some of the names. All honorees, black and non-black, have an active participation in the fight against racism in Brazil and in the world.

MC Soffia, aged just 18, gave a speech about empowerment and self-esteem. “I want to thank you very much for this award, it is very important for my career. It’s difficult, but we can’t stop fighting”, he said.

During the award ceremony, Paula Lima, Luciana Mello and Leci Brandão performed. Leci also received the golden statuette as the greatest singer, songwriter and samba performer in the country.

The 20 women honored

1- MC Soffia, singer and actress.
2- Inês Maria Coimbra, attorney general of the state of São Paulo.
3- Maria Alice Setúbal, sociologist.
4- Luiza Trajano, chairman of the Board of Directors of Magazine Luiza.
5- Sônia Silva, student of the first class of the University Zumbi dos Palmares.
6- Glaucimar Peticov, executive director of Banco Bradesco.
7- Neilda Fabiano, creator of the Black Race Trophy.
8- Aline Borges, actress.
9- Patrícia Villela, founder of the NGO Humanitas 360.
10- Paulina Chiziane, Mozambican writer.
11- Duda Ribeiro, singer.
12- Aline Torres, Municipal Secretary of Culture of São Paulo.
13- Cute, athlete, Olympic volleyball champion in Beijing.
14- Dilma Rousseff, former President of the Republic.
15- Lu Alckmin, former president of the Solidarity Fund of the State of São Paulo.
16- Simone Tebet, senator.
17- Marta Suplicy, Secretary of International Relations of São Paulo.
18- Eunice Prudente, Municipal Secretary of Justice of the City of São Paulo.
19- Marina Silva, historian, teacher, educational psychologist, environmentalist and politician.
20- Leci Brandão, singer.

And the special honorees, Graça Machel and Benedita da Silva.

The Black Race Trophy has been held every year since 2004, with the aim of recognizing and praising people who contribute in various activities, enabling future generations to record their determination, work, perseverance and public example in building a more pluralistic society.