Matilde Ribeiro was born on 29 July 1960, in Florida Paulista in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She graduated in Social Sciences at the Catholic University Pontificia in Sao Paulo where she also earned a Masters degree in Social Psychology.

Starting her career in the Social Services sector, she became eventually integrated in the transition government between Fernando Henrique Cardoso and President Luiz Inacio LULA da Silva with the responsibility of developing the Programme “Brazil without racism” that led in consequence to the creation of SEPPIR.

Her career was highlighted by various positions that demonstrated her engagement in the battle for social equality.

She was advisor at the Centre for the Studies on Labour relations and Inequality (CEERT) and the Union of Metallurgist in the Municipalities of Santo Andre, Sao Bernardo do Campo and Sao Caetano do Sul.

She was coordinator of the Social Relations programme regarding Gender, including racial discrimination and ethnicity in the research and training Institute of Cajamar (Sao Paulo) during 1995-1997.

She lectured at the Department of Social Services in the Metropolitanas Unidas Faculty (FMU) of Sao Paulo and was coordinator for the Advisor for Women’s Rights of the Municipality of Santo Andre, (SP) during1998-2001.Her responsibility was, under the authority of the Mayor of Santo Andre, to implement the government’s policies for gender programmes where she developed integrated projects regarding gender and race issues.

She integrated and coordinated the Participation Project for Resource Management in partnership with the Municipality of Santo Andre and the University of Vancouver/Canada during 1998-2001.

Longstanding militant of the Black Movement as well as the Feminist Movement since 1980, she published various articles on race and gender, environment and state politics.

In March 2003, she became Minister in the LULA Government when she assumed the challenge of  becoming “Special Secretary for the Politics to Promote Racial Equality for the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil”