Meet The Black President That Colombia Erased From Its History

By Brunno Braga, Travel Noire

On June 17th, 2002, history was made in Colombia after the country elected its first Afro-Colombian woman vice-president Francia Marquez. However, Marquez was not the only Black Colombian to reach one of the highest political positions in the country. In the 19th century, a man named Juan José Nieto Gil also made History after taking office as the first and only Black president of Colombia.

Born in 1805 in Baranoa, Colombia, during an era of revolutions that transformed his country and allowed him to ascend socially and politically, Nieto Gil dedicated his life to being a participant in wars across Latin America to liberate those countries from Spain.

Nieto Gil was proclaimed president in 1861. However, one of his great achievements was on May 21st, 1851, when he decreed the abolition of slavery on the northern coast of Colombia during his time as governor of the Canton of Cartagena. That is why that date is now known as ‘Afro-Colombian Day’ in the country.

For seven months, he took the reins of the country known at that time as the Granadian Confederation, which included Panama.

Being the only Black president in the history of Colombia was not the only or the most difficult of the social achievements that Nieto Gil had to break throughout his life.

Find out more about President Nieto Gil.

Many Black achievements have been forgotten or erased from history books, but you’ll find information in our virtual galleries. Learn why telling these stories is important.

Keep informed of stories impacting the Black community.