Eva Maria Bonsucesso
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Eva Maria Bonsucesso | |
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Eva Maria Bonsucesso (fl. 19th c.) was a Brazilian street vendor. Bonsucesso, who was a freed slave, primarily worked on Rua da Misericórdia (also known as Ladeira da Misericórdia) in Rio de Janeiro.
She became known for her work in commerce as a Black woman during the time of the Brazilian Empire. She was notable for having been successful in her efforts to jail José Inácio de Sousa, a white man, for assaulting her, at a time when the Brazilian justice system was deeply racially discriminatory against Black people.
Bonsucesso was born into slavery and lived in Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century during the Brazilian Empire. The enslavement of Black people in Brazil was legally sanctioned until 1888, with the passing of the Lei Áurea. Bonsucesso, having received her manumission letter, became a free Black woman, and would thereafter start her work as a vendor on Rua da Misericórdia.
In July 1811, her work was affected by a goat that had passed by her stand and ate a number of cabbages and a bunch of bananas. Immediately, she ran towards the goat in an attempt to retrieve her products. She would end up slapping the goat. The goat had belonged to a white man named José Inácio de Sousa, who, angered by the situation, ran to Bonsucesso and assaulted her with a slap to the face. The aggression was brought to court, where Bonsucesso was aided by various testimonies from those who were her partners at the stand. Around 30 people overall gave their testimonies that affirmed unanimously that Bonsucesso had been in the right and that the aggression came from Sousa.[1]
