A march through Little Africa, the central region of Rio de Janeiro historically occupied by the Afro-Brazilian community, ended the 21 days of activism campaign against racism. Since March 1st, an agenda of events around the city has sought to engage the population of Rio de Janeiro in the fight for a more egalitarian society. Today, March 21, when the International Day for the Elimination of Racism is celebrated, historians and activists led a tour of emblematic points of black heritage, such as Largo da Prainha, Pedra do Sal, Cais do Valongo and the Docas Pedro building II. Psychologist Luciene Lacerda is the creator and coordinator of the campaign, which has been running since 2017. It celebrates the increase in people and organizations interested in being part of the events agenda. If in the first edition there were 103 registered activities, this year the number jumped to 350. Among them, exhibitions, debates, courses for the care of curly and curly hair and musical performances. “As Angela Davis says, it is not enough to be against racism, you must be anti-racist. So, this campaign calls on people not to remain silent in situations of racism. That they move wherever they are: at home, at work, where they study. They can move in the fight against racism, because as Audre Lorde says, silence will not protect us’”. History professor and specialist in anti-racist education, Fábio Conceição, coordinated one of the activities and reinforced that only a broad awareness of the population can produce changes. “Racism is not a black problem. Racism is a problem in Brazilian society. And the black movement has long been carrying this flag that racism is everyone’s problem. So, everyone who is really interested in making Brazil an inclusive nation, a nation that values diversity, needs to be anti-racist. With racism there is no democracy. With racism, there is no dignity. With racism, there is no civilization.” Mônica Lima, professor of African history at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), also participated in the march. She was one of those responsible for the candidacy text of Cais do Valongo for Cultural Heritage of Humanity, granted by Unesco in 2017. For the teacher, facing racism includes valuing the country’s black heritage. “It is an important experience to think about and live the history of the street together as a great way to raise awareness. And you can’t think about anti-racist struggle without awareness. Regardless of our family background, we can and should be anti-racist. And one way to strengthen the fight against racism is to know history. It is important that we pay attention to these places, that we value and preserve them, that we make public policies so that these activities are spread throughout all schools”. The black linguist and writer Conceição Evaristo criticized speeches that try to deny the existence of racism in the country and delegitimize the struggles of the black movement. “Despite advances, racism is still a problem to be faced. For example, I just left an activity where one of the lines said the following: ‘we are all of the human race’. That kind of speech tries to neutralize a whole fight, right? That we’ve had for centuries. If we are all of one human race, why these social differences? Why are white people the most privileged people in this country? Why is it that the darker your skin is, the more vulnerable you are in this country?”, she highlights. “So more than ever, this fight against racism has to be not only said, it has to actually happen in practice”, she concludes.
Agência Brasil
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