Abstract
Alzira Rufino, feminist and activist, founded the Casa de Cultura da Mulher Negra, the Black Women's House of Culture, which was the first black women's centre in Brazil. The centre was opened in the city of Santos in 1990 and is run by the Black Women's Collective of Baixada Santista, with funding support from War on Want. It offers legal support for the survivors of racism, and domestic and sexual violence, and works to empower black women and raise community awareness of discrimination against women and black people. The centre runs a variety of cultural activities, from popular education and training, to a newspaper and a black people's art gallery.