Vera Lúcia Salgado

Salgado grew up the youngest of 10 children,[4] in a poor Afro-Brazilian family in the state of Pernambuco.[5] In her youth she worked in the shoe making industry, and became involved in trade unionist organizations as a result of the companies taking advantage of their workers.[3] Throughout her life Salgado has worked various jobs to sustain herself, such as a being a waitress, cleaning lady, and even a typist.[5] She is an alumnus of the Federal University of Sergipe.[4]

Originally affiliated with the Worker's Party, Salgado and several other politicians were expelled in 1992 after supporting the impeachment of then president Fernando Collor de Mello.[5] In 1994 she joined the newly formed Unified Workers' Socialist Party, and was one of the party's key founders. She is the leader for the party in the northeast division of Brazil.[6]

Salgado has been the PSTU candidate for mayor of Aracaju in the last four elections, with the best result coming in 2012 where she received 20,241 votes, or 6.6% of the valid votes.[3] In the 2006 Brazilian general election and the 2014 Brazilian general election she ran for the Chamber of Deputies and in 2010 was a candidate for the governor of Sergipe, although she was not successful in any of these elections.[3] Salgado was nominated and ran for president in the 2018 election, and received 55,762 votes, or 0.05% of the valid votes.[7]