Margarida Maria Alves inspira a luta das mulheres camponesas do Brasil - Reprodução Margarida Maria Alves was born in the town of Alagoa Grande union leader and activist for women's rights and agrarian reform in Brazil Margarida – which means “daisy” in Portuguese – was one of the first women to chair a labor union in the country the Rural Workers' Union in Alagoa Grande she filed more than 600 labor lawsuits and was one of the most active voices in denouncing non-compliance with labor laws and precarious working conditions in the region's sugarcane mills.  a very courageous person and a great fighter She faced a fierce struggle against big landowners and persecutors of workers because it wasn't easy at that time," said Margarida Alves' friend and fellow fighter Maria da Soledade Leite During Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-1985) Margarida was undeterred by the threats of landowners and authoritarian rulers and continued to take action against the total absence of labor rights low pay and child labor in sugarcane plantations She was also one of the founders of the Rural Workers' Education and Culture Center alongside educator and patron of Brazilian education Paulo Freire.  "It's better to die struggling than dying of hunger," Margarida Alves declared during the May 1st celebrations in 1983 just three months before she was murdered at the behest of landowners and outside her home had repercussions in the trade union movement and among women's organizations in Paraíba They began to demand justice and share her ideas which ended up becoming a reference for trade unionism and Brazilian feminism "It was after Margarida's death that women started to “use their tongues." We learned to speak and to respect ourselves as women and to fight for our rights," said Soledade.  On August 17, 2023, her name was included in the Book of Homeland Heroes and Heroines the book contains the names of people who dedicated their lives to fighting for a better country thousands of women have gathered in Brasilia for the Marcha das Margaridas (“March of the Margaridas”) named after the trade unionist from Paraíba organized by the National Confederation of Rural Workers and Family Farmers (Contag brought together more than 100,000 female workers on the streets of the federal capital to demand the right to land and more policies to combat gender violence.  Contag describes it as "a broad and strategic action by women from rural areas and the forest" that articulates and mobilizes Brazilian women around different agendas of interest to female workers The march aims to strengthen and expand the organization draw up proposals for public policies from a feminist perspective exploitation and discrimination against women as well as restate the leading role and give visibility to the economic political and social contribution of women from rural areas the March of the Margaridas has been involved in important discussions with public authorities such as the National Campaign to Combat Violence against Rural and Forest Women the creation of the National Forum for the Development of Policies to Combat Violence against Rural and Forest Women and the development of guidelines for the National Policy to Combat Violence against Women All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced provided it is not altered and proper credit is given All original content produced and editorially authored by Brasil de Fato may be reproduced provided it is not altered and proper credit is given.