Maria Anastacia Carvalho Menezes

A Brazilian educator who founded the first public school for Afro-Brazilian girls in the 1840s

Maria Anastacia Carvalho Menezes (1815-1898) was a visionary educator in 19th century Brazil who dedicated her life to empowering marginalized communities. Born into a mixed-race family in Rio de Janeiro, she witnessed the systemic exclusion of Afro-Brazilian girls from education. In 1842, she founded the Escola Anastácio, the first public school in Brazil specifically for Black girls, defying racial and gender barriers.

Her school introduced groundbreaking programs including literacy classes, vocational training in sewing and cooking, and financial literacy. Menezes developed a unique teaching method combining Portuguese language instruction with cultural preservation of Afro-Brazilian traditions. She also established Brazil's first scholarship fund for underprivileged students in 1860.

Her work inspired later educational reforms including the 1874 law requiring primary education for all children. Modern historians like Dr. João Silva have documented her contributions in Forgotten Educators of Brazil (2020). The Maria Menezes Institute continues her mission today, operating schools in Rio's favelas.