Black women take to the streets of Copacabana against racism
The demonstration was organized by the State Forum of Black Women - RJ and saw the participation of several collectives involved in the fight against racial inequality
Agência Brasil – Women from various parts of the state of Rio de Janeiro took over Copacabana's waterfront on Sunday (July 30). They participated in the 9th March of Black Women, which brought to the southern Rio neighborhood the slogan "Black Women United Against Racism, Every Form of Oppression, Violence, and for Well-Being."
The demonstration was organized by the State Forum of Black Women - RJ and saw the participation of several collectives involved in the fight against racial inequality. The event marked the end of the week of mobilization for the International Day of Black Latin American and Caribbean Women, celebrated on July 25, and took place on the eve of the International Day of African Women.
Writer Maria da Conceição Evaristo, known for her literary works combating the oppression of the Black people, read the opening manifesto of the march. "We will occupy one of the most visible Brazilian beaches; it is an act of courage and denunciation," she said into the microphone to the thousands of Black women present.
"We march for well-being. Well-being calls for a politics of collective participation of the Black population, the construction of horizontal power, and the distribution of decision-making positions for Black women," added the writer, who recently inaugurated a cultural center in the region known as Little Africa, in Rio de Janeiro.
Alongside Conceição Evaristo, about ten griots carried an opening banner for the march with this year's theme. Griots are storytellers highly respected in the communities where they live.
The March of Black Women also provided space for young leaders, including children. Ten-year-old Alia Terra was one of the activists who gave a speech. "We are fighting here with all women, always united against all kinds of violence and racism and for well-being," she shouted, being enthusiastically applauded.
The demonstration continued along Copacabana's waterfront with chants of "come to the march, come!" Participants carried banners, placards, and displayed pictures of Black women who fought for the defense, respect, and empowerment of the Black population, such as writer Carolina Maria de Jesus, singer Elza Soares, intellectual Lélia Gonzalez, 18th-century quilombola leader Tereza de Benguela, and Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was assassinated in 2018.
Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, Marielle's sister, was present at the march and said that having so many Black women gathered on the beach in a neighborhood where they usually only work is an important reaffirmation.
"We are marching, we are not scattered, on the contrary. How good it is that we have the federal government leading effective public policies, from health to education, security, which is the most important thing. This is the ninth march. We have always marched, and we will keep marching. Being with these women gives me a feeling of comfort and strength in this place," the minister said. She mentioned that Marielle always took part in the marches. "If Mari were here, she would certainly be adding much splendor to this march; she would be here leading. Her absence means that any and every woman who has to be here is also in danger, so until we can find out who ordered her murder and why, it means that Black women, democracy, those who are courageously standing here, putting their bodies in this place where historically we're not supposed to be, are also in danger," Anielle said.
Lawyer Marinete da Silva, Marielle's mother, remembered that the march takes place in the month when her daughter would have celebrated her birthday. "We are here to say, day after day, that we are assuming more and more of this power and this place of speech, which belongs to us. This July represents us. It's Black women's July," she said.
Looking ahead to next year's municipal elections, Clatia Vieira, one of the organizers of the march, advocated for more Black women to gain space in politics. She also raised another banner of the movement: the hope that a Black woman will occupy the next seat in the Supreme Federal Court.
"We work for that; we build it. In this government, Black women will sit in that chair for the first time in history, to discuss our issues with us," she said. The next seat on the highest court of the Brazilian Judiciary will be vacant in October of this year, due to the compulsory retirement (at 75 years) of Justice Rosa Weber. The appointment of the future minister is made by the President of the Republic and needs to be approved by the Senate.
Clatia Vieira emphasized that the march is not a celebration but a movement to face struggles. Numbers prove that the situation of Black women is challenging. They represent 67% of the victims of feminicide and 89% of the victims of sexual violence. In the job market, they are the ones who suffer the most from unemployment.
Leonídia Carvalho is the president of Quilombo Dona Bilina, in Campo Grande, in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro. For her, this Sunday's act is also for the food sovereignty of the Black population.
"We are fighting for various struggles that have been addressed throughout history, after the liberation [end of slavery], when Black people were deprived of the right to land, housing, farming, and quality food. This march represents a struggle for these women who are at home, in their kitchens, and do not have quality food; it is an anti-racist struggle and a struggle for food sovereignty."
The demonstration featured the participation of music groups such as Filhos de Gandhi, celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Some of the women present at the march made a point of bringing their small children, making an effort to preserve and pass on the interest in the anti-racist struggle.
Pulchéria Silva is from Volta Redonda, a city in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro, which is over two hours away by car from Copacabana. While accompanying the march, she breastfed her one-year and seven-month-old son.
"We have to take a stand, demonstrate to society our awareness, our struggles, and the increasing appreciation of Black women," she told Agência Brasil, saying that she believes that having her son present is a way to raise him with awareness of his roots.
The International Day of Black Latin American and Caribbean Women (July 25) was created by the United Nations during the 1st Meeting of Afro-Latin American and Afro-Caribbean Women in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1992. In Brazil, the date is also a tribute to Tereza de Benguela, known as Queen Tereza, who lived in the 18th century in the Guaporé Valley, in Mato Grosso, and led the Quariterê Quilombo.
The International Day of African Women, celebrated on July 31, was created in reference to the Conference of African Women in 1962 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.