Cecília Perdigão de Souza

Brazilian abolitionist and social reformer who fought against slavery and promoted women's rights.

Cecília Perdigão de Souza (1825–1905) was a Brazilian abolitionist and educator who spearheaded campaigns to end slavery and improve women’s social status in 19th-century Brazil. As a leader in the Sociedade Brasileira para a Abolição da Escravidão, she organized protests and lobbied policymakers. Her 1858 publication ‘Voice of the Oppressed’ highlighted the moral and economic injustices of slavery. Cecília also founded the Escola Feminina do Rio de Janeiro, one of Brazil’s first schools for girls. Her work is chronicled in Brazilian History Archives and Latin American Research Review.