Joyce da Silva Fernandes (born May 13, 1985), also known as Preta Rara, is an Afro-Brazilian rapper, activist, and television host. A former maid, her work in internet activism against the subordination of

domestic worker A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

s led to a book that recorded first-person accounts of abuse. This work also extends to racial discrimination and

sizeism Sizeism or size discrimination is prejudice directed at people based on their size. Discrimination This type of discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because they are considered to be too short or too ...

Early life and education

Fernandes was born in 1985 to Maria Helena da Silva Fernandes, a former maid, and a father who works as a postman, and is the eldest of two sisters and an adopted brother. She grew up in

Santos, São Paulo Santos (, ''Saints'') is a municipality in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, founded in 1546 by the Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas. It is located mostly on the island of São Vicente, which harbors both the city of Santos and the city of São ...

. Working as a maid, she obtained a degree in history in 2012, and found work as a high school history teacher.

Music career

In 2005, Fernandes adopted the stage name Preta Rara when she co-founded Tarja Preta, one of the first female rap groups in Santos. Before dissolving in October 2013, the group played several shows nationwide and won several awards in São Paulo. In March 2015, she released her debut solo album ''Audácia'', which addressed racism and the subordination of black women in Brazil.

Activism

In June 2016, Fernandes began documenting anecdotes of abuse from her work as a maid on Facebook. Under the hashtag #I’mAMaid, her post prompted many others to respond. Her Facebook page "Eu Empregada Doméstica" rapidly gained more than 100,000 followers. In 2019, Fernandes published her book '' Empregada Doméstica'', which accounted other maids' stories, including her mothers'. In 2020, she became a host on the ''Talk Five'' program on the TV Globo television network.

References

External links

euempregadadomestica
on Facebook {{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandes, Joyce 1985 births Living people Afro-Brazilian musicians Afro-Brazilian television hosts People from Santos, São Paulo