Adelia Silva

Adelia Silva (3 April 1925 – 10 July 2004) was a Uruguayan educator, writer and social activist. She became the first Afro-Uruguayan to earn a teaching degree. She taught in rural schools, weathering racial and sexist discrimination. She moved to Montevideo in 1956, but was transferred numerous times as a result of racial discrimination, ultimately returning home to Artigas. She filed a complaint with the National Council of Primary Education, which led to widespread media coverage of her treatment, heightening awareness of the racial and gender divides in Uruguayan society.

In 1960, Silva took an examination and became the first person of African descent in Uruguay to serve as a primary school inspector. She worked as an inspector in various departments and taught both high school and normal school courses through the 1970s. She also volunteered as a teacher for students with learning disabilities, boarders in care homes, and prisoners at the local jail. In 1981, she earned a journalism degree and retired from teaching. Embarking on a second career as a writer, Silva traveled widely, published a textbook on chemistry, and earned several awards as a poet. She died in 2004 and is remembered for her role in changing the perception of freedom and equality in Uruguay.