Mendes, Chico (1944–1988)

Chico Mendes is the abbreviated name of Francisco Alves Mendes, Jr., a labor activist and conservationist from the Amazon region's landlocked state of Acre, Brazil. Mendes defended the interests of the forest and of the seringueiros—rubber tree tappers, calling for land reform and preservation. For his activism, Mendes faced jail, torture, and, eventually, murder.

Chico Mendes was born on December 15, 1944, to Iraci Lopes Mendes and Francisco Alves Mendes in Xapuri, Acre. As a boy, he worked in rubber tapping alongside his father, just before prices for natural rubber declined and work conditions changed. Defending seringueiros' rights, in 1975 he organized the Rural Workers Union in Brasília. Tappers were being expelled from land sold, logged, and burned for cattle [Page 939]pasture. The workers' struggle united with resistance to widespread deforestation. Mendes and others stood in front of tractors and chain saws to impede the destruction.

Entering local politics in1977, he was elected representative for Xapuri, continuing activist work in both settings, the Union and the Municipal Chamber. Death threats followed, and he lost support from party members. Despite drawbacks, he became the Chamber's vice president and then president in 1979, sponsoring social and environmental justice debates between local stakeholders and union and religious leaders that led to accusations of subversion and then to interrogation. Under pressure, Mendes resigned as president of the Chamber and was later secretly tortured.

In 1980, Mendes helped organize the Workers Party in Acre. In July, ally Wilson Pinheiro, president of Brasília's Rural Workers Union, was killed. To avenge his murder, landless peasants killed a rancher. In connection to the crime, Mendes was interrogated and accused of infringing Brazil's National Security Law. In 1981, as president of Xapuri's Rural Workers Union, he was further accused of inciting violence among landless workers. Sent to Manaus for trial, no evidence against him was found and he received support from a strong solidarity movement.

Chico Mendes was at the helm during the 1985 first national meeting of seringueiros in Brasília, where the National Council of Seringueiros was founded. He became the spokesperson for rubber tappers and of the need to establish forest reserves with sustainable extractive practices. His vision and action became known throughout Brazil and the world. Environmental organizations invited Mendes to attend the annual conference of the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., where he also spoke to the U.S. Congress about the impact of a road project threatening the forest and its dwellers, natives and rubber tappers. He succeeded in bringing about policy change. Upon his return, however, landowners and politicians accused Mendes of impeding economic progress in the region.

In the last 3 years of his life, as guest of universities and institutions concerned with preservation and sustainability, Chico Mendes spoke widely about Amazon environment and the repression of rural workers. In 1987, he was awarded the U.N. Environment Program Global 500 prize and a medal from the Better World Society in New York. In addition, he received the honorary citizenship award from the city of Rio de Janeiro.

On December 22, 1988, at age 44, Mendes was shot in front of his house. He was survived by his wife, Ilzamar Mendes, and two children, Elenira, age 4, and Sandino, 2. His murderers are still serving time. Since his death, forest reserves have been created. Discussion about sustainable management of the Amazon region continues. Documentaries and films have recorded Chico Mendes's legacy.

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