Nilma Lino Gomes
Nilma Lino Gomes | |
|---|---|
Nilma Lino Gomes in 2010 | |
| Minister of Women, Racial Equality and Human Rights | |
| In office 2 October 2015 – 12 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Pepe Vargas (as Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship) |
| Succeeded by | Luislinda Valois (as Minister of Human Rights) |
| Minister of Racial Equality | |
| In office 1 January 2015 – 2 October 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Luiza Helena de Bairros |
| Succeeded by | Anielle Franco (2023) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Nilma Lino Gomes 1961 (age 64–65) Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Minas Gerais University of São Paulo (PhD) University of Coimbra |
| Occupation | Professor, researcher, and university administrator |
Nilma Lino Gomes (born 1961) is a Brazilian professor, researcher, and university administrator recognized for her commitment to education, diversity, and racial equality.
She was the first Black woman in Brazil to lead a public federal university after having been named rector of the University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony (UNILAB) in 2013. This appointment represented a symbolic and historic milestone in Brazilian higher education, marking a significant step forward for the representation of Black women in the country’s academic institutions.
On 2 October 2015, she was nominated by president Dilma Rousseff to be the first minister of the recently created Ministry of Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights, which brought together the secretaries of the Policies for Women, Racial Equality, and Human Rights and parts of the General Secretariat. Prior to the merger, she had been the Minister of Racial Equality. She remained in the position until the temporary removal and then impeachment of Dilma by the Federal Senate.
She signed a manifesto in defense of national sovereignty and against recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, rejecting the attempted foreign interference in Brazil’s judicial system and denouncing the political nature of the U.S. decision to raise import tariffs on Brazilian products by 50%.