Áurea Carolina is a black woman, feminist, mother, popular leader and former parliamentarian from Belo Horizonte, one of the largest cities of Brazil. She was councilor and federal deputy for the state of Minas Gerais, in open and collective mandates, which became references for democratic innovation. Today she is the executive director of NOSSAS, a national grassroots activism organization which holds the largest civil engagement platform in the country.

As a parliamentarian, Áurea was part of the political project “Gabinetona”, the network “Ocupa Política” (Occupy Politics) and the global network Progressive International. Her mandates were marked by the promotion of living culture, the defense of the rights of women, black people and traditional peoples and communities, in addition to combating predatory mining. Her strong performance on this last issue was recognized in the “Climate and Sustainability” category, in 2020, in the “Congress in Focus” Award, which lists leading parliamentarians in the National Congress.

Áurea was named one of the world’s Most Influential People of African Descent under 40 in 2019, in the area of politics and governance. In 2023, she was selected for Keseb’s Democracy Fellowship program, along with other leaders who defend democracy, face authoritarian threats and promote political participation in Brazil, South Africa and the United States.

As executive director of NOSSAS, Áurea returns to civil society bringing her great experience in popular education and social mobilization, with an intersectional perspective on strengthening democracy and climate, racial and gender justice agendas. In recent times, she has worked with a sharp focus on climate change, the need to adapt cities and the need to build civic and community resilience to face the challenges of the present and the near future.