Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Fast Facts on Lula
Today is a special day in Brazil. It’s more than 100 years since the nation’s founder, the republican leader and hero, the man who led the charge in the Battle of Sao Paulo, was assassinated. The first president of Brazil, Gomes Freire Xavier, the man who was sworn in after Lula became president, has been dead for 100 days to this very day.
Lula may have done a lot to change Brazil. He was a great soldier; he knew the economy would need investment; he was a man of great courage when the time came; he knew, but was not afraid. He also knew and could see that if he did nothing, a lot of his supporters would leave him. He knew the political opposition would not give him any help. So, he did what he did.
Today, we are here to salute Brazilian citizens for showing their spirit, their determination and that all of us have the power to use words to give strength to our dreams. Today is a day of celebration, of courage, and of people giving strength and hope to the dreams of all of us.
Who is Lula? How did he become one of the icons of Brazil?
Born into a family of humble means, Lula was in a tough neighborhood. When he was a boy, his family moved to Rio de Janeiro, but his father suffered from a serious illness. The family had no money and couldn’t pay for the treatment of his father.
In his childhood, Lula attended a school where no one went. He and his friends would sleep in the streets. He would run away from home to find better places to sleep. But that was not a safe way to live.
As a teenager, Lula worked at a small factory, but then he decided he wanted to become part of the movement. He joined the first trade union in the country. Lula began to travel to support the movement and went to Europe to learn in the political trade unions.
In 1975, he became involved in the Social Democracy party (PT, more commonly known