Sophia Ayanais the Youth Coordinator of the “Minha Mãe Não Dorme Enquanto eu Não Chegar” (“My Mother Doesn’t Sleep Until I Get Home”) campaign for Odara-Instituto da Mulher Negra. Minha Mãe Não Dorme Enquanto eu Não Chegar is a project developed in the communities of Cabula and the Northeast of Amaralina, which are located on the outskirts of Salvador, which focuses on denouncing the genocide of the Black population and raises awareness about the harm caused by state violence in the lives of Black children, adolescents, their mothers, and their family members.
The project focuses on supporting, connecting with, strengthening, and engaging in dialogue with mothers and families whose loved ones were murdered as a result of state violence; providing legal assistance and psychosocial support to families affected by violence and police brutality; and offering political training to young people from both communities through the Jovens Negres na Construção de uma Cultura de Paz e Acesso à Justiça (“Black Youth in Building a Culture of Peace and Access to Justice”) initiative.
A Black Trans Woman from the outskirts of Salvador who loves theater, Sophia is an undergraduate student studying Geography at the Bahia Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology (IFBA).
Video Interview with Sophia Ayana
In this video, Sophia Ayana, Youth Coordinator of Odara-Instituto da Mulher Negra, shared insights on the Black feminists who inspire her and what reparation and good living mean to her as a global mandate for justice, solidarity, and freedom for Black women in Brazil and beyond.
