Nísia Floresta

Brazil's first feminist educator who fought for women's and Afro-Brazilian rights in the 19th century

Nísia Floresta (1810-1883) was a pioneering educator from Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil who established the nation's first school for girls of color in 1833. Defying societal norms, she integrated free Black students with poor white children at her Instituto Nísia Floresta school, which remains operational today. Her 1839 treatise 《On Female Education》 argued that women's literacy was essential for national progress. Floresta collaborated with Princess Isabel to create Brazil's first teacher training program for women. She secretly taught enslaved people to read using palm leaves as writing material, a practice documented in 《Nísia Floresta: A Voice for Freedom》. Floresta's work inspired the 1871 law requiring primary education for all children. Today, her image appears on Brazil's 100-real note, and the Nísia Floresta University honors her legacy. Her advocacy laid groundwork for Brazil's abolition of slavery in 1888 and modern affirmative action policies.