Minister Anielle Franco among Time magazine's 12 Women of the Year

Brazil’s Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco was named by Time - one of the most prestigious magazines in the world - as one of the 12 Women of the Year in 2023.

Sister of Marielle Franco, a Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman brutally murdered in 2018, Anielle founded in that same year the institute that bears her sister's name, and which fights for human rights and in defense of Marielle's memory. Since her sister's death, Anielle has become involved in political activism for the causes of black and LGBTQIA+ people.

At 38 years old, she holds a degree in journalism from North Carolina State University in the United States and a degree in English and literature from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

“Her tragic family story, warm personality, and deft use of social media turned the once reserved Franco into an unlikely leader in Brazil’s Black rights movement,” says an excerpt from the profile published by Time magazine about the minister.

On social media, Anielle expressed herself about the international recognition. "Very proud and thrilled to have been the first and only Brazilian indicated as 'Woman of the Year' among the twelve chosen by the American Time magazine. I am very happy, and I do not arrive here alone, this recognition is not only mine, but also of all black women in Brazil.