Maria das Graças Carvalho Dantas (born 21 May 1969), known as Maria Dantas, is a

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian-

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

activist and politician who had served as

Member of the Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has 350 members elected from fifty-two constituencie ...

of Spain.

Early life

Dantas was born on 21 May 1969 in

Aracaju Aracaju () is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the coast, about 350 km (217 mi) north of Salvador, Bahia, Salvador. According to the 2020 estimate, the city has 664,908 inha ...

in north-eastern

. She is the daughter of a merchant and a nurse. She has a degree in law from the

Federal University of Sergipe The Federal University of Sergipe (, UFS) is a Brazilian public institution based in Sergipe, with campuses in São Cristóvão, Aracaju, Itabaiana, Laranjeiras, and Lagarto. Founded in 1967 by the junction of the state's existing colleges, it ...

. She was a student of

Carlos Ayres Britto Carlos Augusto Ayres de Freitas Britto (born November 18, 1942, in Propriá, Sergipe) is a Brazilian jurist and was a Justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil. He was appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and served from June 2 ...

at the university. Dantas worked as a deputy delegate for the civil police in

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

Career

Dantas migrated to Spain in 1994 in order to study environmental law. She was an undocumented migrant and worked in various jobs over 15 years – as a maid, nanny, old age carer, dog walker, waitress and Portuguese teacher. She would clean toilets after attending

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

classes. She later worked as an administrative assistant for a finance company. She is a

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

Spanish citizen. Soon after arriving in Spain Dantas became an activist against

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

and

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

and supporting immigration and human rights. She is a member of Unity Against Fascism and Racism (Unitat Contra el Feixisme i el Racisme) and is a member of the boards of Centre Internacional Escarré per a les Minories Ètniques i Nacionals (CIEMEN) and Confederació d’Associacions Veïnals de Catalunya (CONFAVC). Her activism has led to death threats from supporters of Brazil's

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

. Dantas contested the 2019 general election as a

Republican Left of Catalonia–Sovereigntists Republican Left of Catalonia–Sovereigntists (, ERC–Sobiranistes) was an electoral coalition formed in Catalonia for the April 2019 Spanish general election by Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Sovereigntists (Sobiranistes). It was led by ...

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

candidate in the

Province of Barcelona Barcelona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea. Its area is .Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has ...

Personal life

Dantas has a son, Thiago Lee, from a marriage when she was living in Brazil. She also has two daughters born in Barcelona, Victoria and Natalia, from a second relationship to a Brazilian.

Electoral history

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dantas, Maria 1969 births Activists from Catalonia Women politicians from Catalonia Brazilian emigrants to Spain Federal University of Sergipe alumni Living people Members of the 13th Congress of Deputies (Spain) People from Aracaju Republican Left of Catalonia politicians Women members of the Congress of Deputies (Spain) Members of the 14th Congress of Deputies (Spain)