Jose Carlos do Patrocinio

José do Patrocínio was a Brazilian lawyer, journalist, writer, orator, and political activist. He was born in Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, in 1853, and died in Rio de Janeiro, in 1905. He was the son of a priest and a slave, and he faced many difficulties because of his social origin. He studied pharmacy at the Faculty of Medicine of Rio de Janeiro, where he graduated in 1874. He worked as a teacher, a journalist, and a writer, publishing poems, novels, and essays. He was one of the most prominent figures of the abolitionist movement in Brazil, leading the Confederação Abolicionista and the Guarda Negra, a militia formed by blacks and former slaves. He also supported the republican cause and participated in the Revolution of 1889, which overthrew the monarchy. He was elected to the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro in 1886, and he founded the newspaper A Cidade do Rio in 1887. He was a prolific and influential writer, producing works such as Mota Coqueiro, Os Retirantes, Pedro Espanhol, and many others. He was also a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters, occupying the Chair 21. He was a man of courage, charisma, and eloquence, who fought for the freedom and dignity of his people.