Esperança Garcia (born c. 1751) was an enslaved Afro-Brazilian and likely Creole woman in Brazil who is who is considered to have written the first earliest known slave petition in Brazil. On 6 September 1770, she sent a petition to free herself from slavery to the then-president of the province of São José do Piauí, Captaincy of Maranhão (now the current day state of Piauí), Gonçalo Pereira Botelho de Castro. In the petition, she denounced the abuse and maltreatment of her and her son by the overseer of Fazenda Algodões. Esperança is considered to be the first Black lawyer in Brazil.In 1979, Esperança’s letter was rediscovered, and she became an icon for the black movement in Piauí, a state in Brazil. Her letter is also considered an important work to the origins of Afro-Brazilian women's literature. In the state of Piauí, the day she sent the letter, 6 September, is commemorated as Black Consciousness Day in the state.
In 1979, Esperança’s letter was rediscovered, and she became an icon for the black movement in Piauí, a state in Brazil. Her letter is also considered an important work to the origins of Afro-Brazilian women's literature. In the state of Piauí, the day she sent the letter, 6 September, is commemorated as Black Consciousness Day in the state.