Francia Elena Márquez Mina is an Afro-Colombian human-rights and environmental activist in Colombia. She was born in Yolombo, a village in the Cauca Department. She first became an activist at 13, when construction of a dam threatened her community.
In 2019, Francia Marquez survived an assassination attempt by men wielding firearms and grenades – an attack that came on the heels of a string of death threats against the award-winning Colombian environmentalist.
Now, three years later, Marquez could become the first Afro-Colombian vice president – a historic development in a country where politics has traditionally been the domain of wealthy white men. She was tapped for the position by leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, widely viewed as the frontrunner in the upcoming May election.
source – https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/29/how-francia-marquez-aims-to-break-barriers-in-colombia
