Quotas were the only policy for Black people in 500 years, says the rector of Zumbi dos Palmares University.

247 - The quota policy was the only policy aimed at Black people in 500 years of Brazil. This is according to José Vicente, rector of the Zumbi dos Palmares Faculty, in the face of the threat of regression under the Bolsonaro government.

Vicente points out that "after ten years, there is no way and no reason to eliminate the quotas."

In an interview with the Uol portal, The rector explained the campaign to create a fund for the Faculty: “This campaign is a manifestation of discontent, but not only that. It's a reaction to the George Floyd episode in the United States, but mainly to what happened and continues to happen with the George Floyds here in Brazil: aggression, disrespect, destruction, and even death of young black people at the hands of the civil, military, and federal police, the Army, private police... It has become a permanent routine. We felt that this moment opened an opportunity for us to reflect and make demands within our country, state, and city.”

Vicente further adds: “Therefore, the partners, the opinion leaders, came together and understood that if the Americans took to the streets and made their demands there, and more than that, not only did they do it but achieved results, it is imperative, inexorable, that we here in Brazil have the willingness and desire to put in a little more effort to see if we can improve the status quo of this situation. And that was the driving force of our story. And then in the days that followed, we had this conversation. So, we agreed that, yes, we need to take a leap forward and take a stand, communicate that we have a side and that it won't be enough just to not be racist. We have to be anti-racist and make things happen.”