Lawyer Francia Márquez, activist for the defense of human rights and the environment, was elected vice president of Colombia this Sunday (19), the first black woman to hold this office. She and presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, a former M19 guerrilla fighter and now a senator from Colombia, won the country’s presidential election. Petro became the first leftwing president elected by Colombians, defeating candidate Rodolfo Hernández.
Born in the district of La Toma in the west of the country, Francia was the leader of a popular movement against mineral exploration in the region, a struggle that earned her recognition with the Goldman Prize (referred to as the “Nobel Prize for the Environment”). in 2018. .
2 of 4 Francia Márquez (left) and Gustavo Petro (right) during a political event this Sunday (22) — Photo: Juan BARRETO/AFP
Francia Márquez (left) and Gustavo Petro (right) during a political event this Sunday (22) Photo: Juan BARRETO/AFP
After working in social movements for more than 10 years, Francia had launched her preliminary candidacy for the Colombian presidency in 2021. However, as the campaign progressed, she became part of the ticket of Gustavo Petro, a leftwing candidate.
Francia, a 40yearold woman with a law degree from the University of Santiago de Cali, is a single mother of two and has a life story closely linked to social activism.
As a young woman, she prospected for gold and worked as a maid to finance her studies.
3 of 4 A mural in Suarez shows Francia Márquez — Photo: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP
A mural in Suarez depicts Francia Márquez — Photo: Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP
When he was of legal age he led movements against the expansion of mining in the region and grew up in the Colombian political scene.
During the campaign, if elected, she pledged to help create and uphold rights for women, black people, tribal peoples, farmers and the LGBTQIA+ population.
“For me, accepting a position in the state is not the end of the road. The end for me is honoring life, caring for life, living in a more just and dignified place for all. The end is here reduce Black mortality. Achieving the presidency of Colombia is a means, occupying the state is a means to continue this struggle that we want as a people and as humanity,” said Francia Márquez before joining Petro’s ticket.
In 2014, as President of the Association of Afrodescendant Women of Yolombó, she organized the “Mobilization of Black Women to Care for Life and Ancestral Territories,” a movement that brought together people from northern Cauca and reached as far as Bogotá (capital) their claim rights. .
4 of 4 Francia Márquez holds the 2018 Goldman Prize for the Environment — Photo: Disclosure
Francia Márquez holds the 2018 Goldman Prize for the Environment — Photo: Disclosure
After receiving the Goldman Prize for the Environment in 2018, Francia presented herself as a candidate to head the Chamber of Afrodescendant Communities.
In 2021, before presenting the precandidate for President of the Republic, he served as Chairman of the National Committee for Peace, Reconciliation and Coexistence of the National Peace Council.