Interview with Macaé Evaristo, Minister of State

Abstract

Macaé Maria Evaristo dos Santos is an educator and longtime activist in the fight for racial justice, public education, and the rights of traditional peoples in Brazil. Born in São Gonçalo do Pará (MG), she graduated in Social Work at PUC Minas (Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais), where she also obtained a master's degree in Education, with the thesis entitled "Instituting practices for the management of Xacriabá schools" (2006). A teacher in basic education since the age of 19, she was the Municipal Secretary of Education of Belo Horizonte and, later, Secretary of Education of the State of Minas Gerais, being the first black woman to hold this position. She was Secretary of Literacy, Diversity, and Inclusion of the Ministry of Education (MEC) from 2013 to 2014. Throughout her administrations, she implemented public policies aimed at inclusion, combating racial inequalities, and played a decisive role in the application of guidelines for indigenous and quilombola school education. In 2024, she was appointed Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC), deepening her work in defense of the rights of historically marginalized populations. In this interview with CAAP Journal, Macaé Evaristo reflects on the paths of education and its relationship with the fight for democracy and social justice.