Sementes: Mulheres Pretas no Poder (Seeds: Black Women in Brazil) will premier online on September 7 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

	Marielle Franco’s Murder Pushed Black Women in Brazil to Enter Politics. This Documentary Followed Those Black Women. Sementes: Mulheres Pretas no Poder (Seeds: Black Women in Brazil) will premier online on September 7 Sep 7 About two years ago, a black woman activist in Rio de Janeiro handed me a small package of plant seeds during a political event. She explained to me that these physical seeds represented the “seeds of Marielle Franco.”  Marielle Franco, a black Brazilian councilwoman who fought for the rights of blacks, women, and the poor, was viscously assassinated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 14 of 2018. Her driver, Anderson Gomes, was also killed. Her assassination made worldwide news because people in Rio were beginning to understand her impact. Franco was a rising Afro-Brazilian politician whose work promoted human rights on behalf of women, blacks, LGBT, and the poor. So her death was part of a system that minimized and even suffocated the voices of such people. Those who assassinated her did not realize how her death would create more "Marielles" that people now refer to as the "seeds" of Marielle — Sementes in Portuguese. In the aftermath of her death, several black women who worked directly with her felt inspired and compelled to run for statewide political positions. In Rio de Janeiro, four black women were elected to statewide positions.  Subscribe now And there was a film crew there capturing all of the magic. The resulting documentary film, Sementes: Mulheres Pretas no Poder (Seeds: Black Women in Power), will debut on YouTube on September 7 at 6 pm Eastern.  Below is a synopsis of the film: In response to Marielle Franco's assassination, the 2018 elections turned into the most significant political upheaval led by black women that Brazil has ever seen, with candidacies in all states. In Rio de Janeiro, Mônica Francisco, Rose Cipriano, Renata Souza, Jaqueline de Jesus, Tainá de Paula, and Talíria Petrone ran for state or federal positions. The documentary follows these women in their campaigns, which showed that a new way of doing politics in Brazil is possible, transforming mourning into a fight. Check out the trailer below: Ethel Oliveira and Júlia Mariano produced and directed the film. Share Earlier this year, Black Women Radicals featured an interview with Oliveira. She had this to say about why there should be a documentary film about Marielle Franco and her impact: Why is it important to have a film about the life and activism of Marielle Franco?  EO: "We need to memorialize Marielle because she was a transnational figure who fought against racism and for the rights of Black women, lesbians, and for intersectional rights. It is important we have a figure [like her] who was at the center of this. Marielle Franco's friend and chief of staff, Renata de Souza used the term political femicide to describe what happened to Marielle. Marielle was the deputy of the state of Rio de Janeiro and what happened to her had a huge impact on us in Rio, especially on Black women. We were in shock and in a trance for many hours. While we were still in shock, we also knew that we had to fight for Marielle. It is important to note that her murder happened in the center of Rio and very close to the periphery of the city. Her murder is a part of a structural system to silence Black people and Black women. However, the people will always have her memory and her fight in the frontlines of our resistance. As a councilwoman, her activism was centered on securing human rights for everyone and while we cannot see Marielle, her spirit is manifested in other women. It is very important to promote this image of her. So the film with Leonard is about the future of Marielle being here with us in spite of her death. In showing how people are honoring her legacy, we hope that other people can see the film and know about her leadership and continue to honor her. In the film, we interview and speak with Black women who decided to run for office in honor of her in 2018. It was a necessity to show this because throughout the history of Brazil, you usually see white male politicians. You do not see Black women in politics and there are too many films and commentary about white men in politics."  For those who speak and understand Portuguese, there will also be a discussion on the film on September 8. Share Coisa de Preto Make sure to set a reminder for the film’s debut on September 7: Will you be watching the film on Youtube? You’re on the free list for Coisa de Preto . For the full experience, become a paying subscriber. Subscribe