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Biography · Politics & Public Life

Benedita da Silva

1942–

Brazil

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Biography

Benedita Souza da Silva Sampaio (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [beneˈdʒitɐ ˈsowzɐ da ˈsiwvɐ sɐ̃ˈpaju]; born 26 April 1942) is a Brazilian politician. From a working-class background, she faced class and racial prejudice, overcoming it to become the first female and Afro-Brazilian governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro and, later, Minister of the said Secretary of State as well in the Government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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