'If there is anything new possible in Brazil, it will come from the Black movement,' says Douglas Belchior.

Gabriel Valery, Rebuildables - At a time when the need for universal public services is evident, when democracy is under frequent threat, when the health of the Brazilian population suffers from mismanagement and unemployment explodes, the issue of combating racism takes center stage. This is because it permeates the other ills of social structures. "We are living in a moment of radicalization of barbarity," defines activist Douglas Belchior.

Douglas is a co-founder of Uneafro, one of the 150 entities that make up the Black Coalition for Rights, which has formulated a series of proposals to address historical and urgent problems, in addition to the manifesto "As long as there is racism, there will be no democracy." Douglas explains: "Racism is a fundamental element to be considered in understanding what Brazil and the world are. This is necessary to think about possible solutions and imagine a future that overcomes this current situation."

The Black movement has always demanded answers, denounced the problems, and formulated proposals for the successive crises in the country's history. However, it needs to be truly heard, argues the activist. “It is necessary to value the elaboration, the political construction, the historical accumulation of the Black movement. If there is any possible new development in Brazil, it will stem from the organization and accumulated knowledge of politically organized Black people. They have proposals, projects, guidelines, and solutions for this pit we are stuck in.”

Pandemic and racism

The world is going through the worst health crisis in the last 100 years. The COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has brought various sectors of social dynamics to a standstill. At the same time, the anti-racist struggle is taking on a new dimension. The murder of George Floyd in the United States, in a cowardly act by a white police officer, sparked a surge in the voices of Black men and women across much of the world.

“At a time when the entire planet was paralyzed by one of the most serious pandemics, the only phenomenon capable of overcoming this on a global scale was racial conflict. It exploded from the protests in the United States, but it echoed in other parts of the world because the problem is systemic,” Douglas explained.

For the activist, this reveals the urgency of the world needing to deal with racism, so deeply rooted in human history. “There is a need for a serious debate about this. Racism must be considered a system necessary for the power of the oppressors and must be effectively combated. It is necessary to strengthen, beyond denunciation, initiatives for solutions based on proposals from the organized Black movement,” he said.

Billing and consistency

Along with the novel coronavirus pandemic and the rise of Black voices around the world, Brazil finds itself in a dangerously unusual situation. The Bolsonaro government ignores the pandemic while dismantling rights and institutions, which cruelly affects the Black population. “We have an openly racist, genocidal, and fascist government. We have a Congress with a majority aligned with the far right. We have a social climate that strongly supports intimidation and racial violence,” stated Douglas.

On the other hand, the debate about racism – and the urgency of anti-racism – is reaching unprecedented intensity. And it needs to be taken seriously. That's what Douglas demands. “It's necessary to demand coherence from society at a time when there is commotion and an almost hegemonic feeling of unease regarding the evils of racism. Sectors that never recognized racism are now discussing the problem. Wealthy sectors, the middle class, the mainstream press are setting the agenda on this issue. Coherence must be demanded from these sectors. It is necessary for these sectors to practice anti-racism.”

Deep root

Douglas elaborates on the systemic and institutional nature of racism. “Racism is the backdrop and fundamental element in promoting the main conflicts, inequalities, and violence. There is no major systemic inequality or violence that does not have racism as its underlying principle, as an element that structures oppression.”

It is structural racism that causes this population, which is the majority in Brazil, to be marginalized in basic social issues. “Racism structures relationships and organizes power in this country. In such a way that all the major problems have a fundamental racial dimension. Look, in relation to work, Black men and women have always been informal or precarious workers. We have always been a minority with guaranteed rights,” says Douglas.

“Even in the formal market, they are the ones who take the longest to be hired, the first to be fired, and the ones who take the longest to find new employment. They receive lower wages. They are the majority of those who suffer from the absence of public services. The (precariousness of) public health affects the Black population more, as it is not organized and universalized, as we have always demanded,” she adds.

The pandemic emerges as an element that proves Douglas's argument. "Although it is a lethal and dangerous virus for all humans, in Brazil it sickens far more black people than white people. What explains this? Why does it kill more black people? This explains a little about the structure that organizes society."

That being said, it's important to see the proposals and solutions presented by the Black population. Douglas exemplifies this: “In the midst of the pandemic, we see the communities themselves organizing fundraisers and collective efforts to bring food to people during the pandemic. This moment of pandemic reveals and makes explicit what the Black movement has always denounced and has never been heard.”