Maria Werneck de Castro | |
---|---|
Born | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | October 8, 1909
Died | April 6, 1994 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | (aged 84)
Occupation | Attorney |
Spouse | Luis Werneck de Castro |
Maria Morais Werneck de Castro ( Rio de Janeiro, 1909 - Rio de Janeiro, 1993) was a Brazilian lawyer, militant communist, and feminist. [1]
Castro was born on October 8, 1909 [2] in barrio Laranjeiras, the daughter of attorney Justo de Moraes and Herminia Cresta Mendes de Moraes. Her paternal grandfather was Luiz Mendes de Moraes , who was Minister of War in 1909. In school, she studied law. She married the communist militant Luis Werneck de Castro, also a lawyer. [3]
Castro was a communist activist who fought for women's suffrage rights, from 1930 onwards. She participated in the Federación Brasileña por el Progreso Femenino, and in the Liga Antifascista. Castro was a close friend of Luís Carlos Prestes and his sister, Clotilde Prestes, as well as a companion to Nise da Silveira and Olga Benário Prestes, the latter having been accused of being one of the leaders of the Communist Revolt of 1935. [4] With Mary Mercio and Eugênia Álvaro Moreyra, she co-founded the União Feminina do Brasil , [5] also serving as its director. [6] Castro went into exile in Argentina. She became a member of the Brazilian Communist Party in 1947, serving in the Movimiento Unitario de los Trabajadores e Intelectuales. Towards the end of her life, Castro became devoted to education, being a professor of Portuguese and history.
Castro died on April 6, 1994, in Rio de Janeiro. [2]