Sandra Braga is a distinguished Afro-Brazilian leader and activist, currently serving as Executive Coordinator of CONAQ (National Coordination of Black Rural Quilombola Communities). With a background rooted in the Quilombo Mesquita community in Goiás, Brazil, she has dedicated her life to the defense of human rights, racial equality, and the cultural preservation of quilombola peoples.

Ms. Braga has held numerous leadership positions, including President of the Renovadora Association of Quilombo Mesquita, councilwoman in the municipality of Cidade Ocidental, and advisor to the Federal Deputy Erika Kokay. She has also served in public institutions such as the Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality (GDF-SEPIR) and has experience working with the U.S. Embassy’s governance unit.

Her international advocacy includes representing CONAQ in high-level meetings at the United Nations in Washington, the COP26 in Scotland, and diplomatic engagements in Geneva, Jamaica, and New York with organizations such as the Ford Foundation. Her global outreach reflects her unwavering commitment to securing international support for Brazil’s quilombola communities.

Ms. Braga holds degrees in Tourism and Theology and has completed technical training in telemarketing supervision. She has also led cultural preservation initiatives in her community and actively participates in national and international collectives such as the Black Coalition for Rights, Women’s Collectives of CONAQ, and Via Campesina Brasil.

Her voice and leadership are essential to the visibility, resilience, and sovereignty of quilombola peoples in Brazil and beyond.