The Senate recognized and awarded this Thursday (27), in a solemn session, women who stood out in their career for the struggle for female rights and representativeness in the country. The honorees were indicated by the congressmen, mostly member of the female bench.
Among the award-winning Bertha Lutz diploma are actresses Fernanda Torres, nominated by Senator Eliziane Gama (PSD-MA), and Fernanda Montenegro, nominated by Senate President David Alcolumbre (Union-AP). Both were part of the cast of director Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here”, who received the Oscar for best international film this year.
The neuroscientist and president of the Sarah network, Lucia Willadino Braga, was also one of the honorees. She was nominated by alcohubre and, in the session, represented and received in a symbolic way the awards on behalf of Fernanda Torres and Fernanda Montenegro.
The list of recognized personalities also includes the writer and member of the Minas Gerais Academy of Letters Conceição Evaristo, who attended the session. The writer’s nomination for the award was made by Senator Teresa Leitão (PT-PE).
Leader of the Women’s Bench, Senator Leila Barros (PDT-DF) stated that the award represents the empowerment of women. He stressed, however, that the female cause is still a “battle” far from over and that women are still underrected in Congress, although they are the majority of the population.
“We are in 2025 and unfortunately we need to denounce that the feminist cause is still a cause for equality and justice, and battle is far from its end. A quarter of century has already elapsed since the first edition of this award and we still need to be here to claim rights: right for equalizing opportunities, right for the vision of domestic work, right for effective social inclusion and, amazing, even to physical integrity,” he said.
At the session, Bruna dos Santos Costa Rodrigues, judge at the Ceará Court of Justice, spoke on behalf of all honorees. She was nominated for the award by Senator Augusta Brito (PT-CE). In her speech, the judge highlighted the sub -representativeness of black women in the judiciary.
“To talk about gender is to talk about the numbers that were pointed out here. The number of femicides increases and every 17 hours a woman is murdered. It is to talk about political violence, the misunderstanding of women who are parliamentary and the absence of women in the 2nd degree and in higher courts of the judiciary, especially black women who represent less than 1% of the judiciary,” he said.
Bertha Lutz, who names the prize, was a biologist, lawyer and researcher. His trajectory was marked by the struggle for the feminist cause and education. In 1919, he became the second Brazilian to be part of the public service in Brazil and, in 1936, took office in the House of Representatives.
Meet the honorees:
- Ani Heinrich Sanders: Rural Producer of the State of Piauí,
- Antonieta de Barros (in memoriam): first black woman to be elected deputy in Brazil, by the state of Santa Catarina;
- Bruna dos Santos Costa Rodrigues: Judge at the Court of Justice of the State of Ceará;
- Conceição Evaristo: Linguist, writer and member of the Minas Gerais Academy of Letters;
- Cristiane Rodrigues Britto: Lawyer and former Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights;
- Elaine Borges Monteiro Cassiano: Dean of the Federal Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul (IFMS);
- Elisa de Carvalho: Pediatrician, University Professor and Member of the Brasilia Medical Academy;
- Fernanda Montenegro: Oscar -nominated actress in 1999 for acting in the Central Movie of Brazil;
- Fernanda Torres: Actress and winner of the Golden Globe and nominated for Oscar
- Janete Ana Ribeiro Vaz: Entrepreneur and co -founder of the Sabin Group:
- Jaqueline Gomes de Jesus: writer, teacher and first manager of the Black Quota System at the University of Brasilia (UnB);
- Joana Marisa de Barros: mastologist and mammary imaging in the state of Paraíba;
- Lúcia Willadino Braga: Neuroscientist and President of the Sarah Network;
- Maria Terezinha Nunes: Coordinator of Rede Equity and former Coordinator of the Program
- Senate gender and race equity;
- Marisa Serrano; Former Senator, former Deputy and South-Mato Grosso Academy of Letters;
- Patrícia de Amorim Rêgo: Attorney of Justice of the Public Prosecution Service of the State of Acre;
- Tunisia Viana de Carvalho: Maten and Children’s Rights activist;
- Virginia Mendes: Philanthropist and First Lady of Mato Grosso;
- Viviane Senna: Philanthropist and president of the Ayrton Senna Institute.
