Wanda Chase

Wanda Chase da Silva (November 19, 1950 — April 3, 2025) was a Brazilian journalist and an activist in her country's Black Movement.

Known for her work in cultural journalism, early in her career Chase became one of only a few black broadcast journalists in Bahia. Her promotion of Afro-Brazilian culture, coverage of the Bahian Carnival, and activism with the led to her characterization as a "voice of the Black Movement."

Early life and education Wanda Chase da Silva was born in Manaus, Brazil, in 1950. She was the oldest daughter of five children born to a homemaker and a machinist. Some of her ancestors had come to Amazonas from Maranhão, while her maternal grandparents had immigrated to Brazil from Barbados.

Later, she moved to the Northeast, where she worked in Recife (at the newspaper A Cidade and the radio station Jordnal) and in Campina Grande (for the channel ). Immediately after leaving, she began working for TV Aratu. In 2017, she returned to TV Bahia to cover that year's Carnival. After a brief stint at TV Educativa da Bahia in 2018, she went back to TV Aratu.

After retiring from television, Chase wrote the column "Opraí Wanda Chase" for the website , hosted the podcasts "Papo Ciência" (for the Federal Institute Baiano) and "Bastidores com Wanda Chase," and worked on a book about the history of axé music.

Activism After moving to Northeastern Brazil, a stronghold of Afro-Brazilian culture, Chase joined the and began wearing her hair in an afro. She worked throughout her career to promote Afro-Brazilian culture and combat racial inequality.

Death and legacy Chase died during surgery for an aortic aneurysm in 2025. She was 74 years old. Her cremation was held at Salvador's Campo Santo Cemetery.

The Legislative Assembly of Bahia honored her posthumously in a special session with the title Citizen of Bahia on April 7, 2025, which is Brazil's ("Day of the Journalist").