what we call movementblack is actually a set of social movements who fight against the racism and for social equality and rights between blacks and whites, especially in the Western world, marked by the enslavement of African peoples.
Since the 19th century, several movements have emerged in defense of equal civil rights, against slavery and against racism. THE most of these movements focused on American countries and South Africa, on account of enslavement (in the Americas) and British imperialism and the apartheid (in South Africa). In the 20th century, the movements branched out, developing different patterns of social struggles according to the needs of the local black population.
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Racial Equality Movement
despite differences inherent in the types of movement that have the theme in common racial, the denominator of all of them is the demand for racial equality
between blacks and whites. Due to enslavement and colonialism (historical movement of invasion and colonization of American, African and Asian countries by European countries), which caused the capture and commercialization of black Africans as slaves throughout the world, especially in the Americas, we are living the consequences of an extremely unequal and cruel system with the people's descendants enslaved.In the nineteenth century, slavery was legally extinct in the Western world, despite this, its consequences to the african peoples left deep marks on society and blacks continued to be treated as inferiors. In the southern United States and South Africa, there was a system ofracial segregation official — supported by laws — which excluded black people from accessing the same services as the white population, in addition to having established a system of separation that prevented blacks from being integrated into the social routine as people white.
THE South Africa it is a country that today has a significant white population due to English colonialism and that, during the years of English domination and young republic that emerged after the end of domination, was marked by official segregation in a political system dominated by people white. For example, we can see that the first black president of the republican period of South Africa was Nelson Mandela, elected only in 1994. Before his election, Mandela, who was part of movements against racial segregation in his country, spent 27 years in prison because of his tough militant work.
Currently there are different strands of the black movement. Two broader streams are the Unified Black Movement and the Empowered Black Movement. O Unified Black Movement has its origins in the historic struggle that began in the periods of slavery and intensified in the decade of 1960 around the world, mainly by inspiration of American personalities engaged in the struggle, such as Martin Luther King Junior, Malcom X, James Baldwin and Angela Davis.
O Empowered Black Movement, in turn, emerged from the 1960s onwards, intensifying in the first decade of the 2000s. The context of neoliberalism and the recognition of the glaring inequality between blacks and whites around the world was fundamental to the strengthening of this aspect of the movement.
While the unified movement intends to unify, in the struggle, all blacks and all who join forces, the empowered movement intends to center its action on the individual. While the first focuses on what is good in blackness and race, the second focuses on the injustices and historical suffering of the black population to demand reparation policies. Regardless of ideological differences, black movements want equality and justice.
Social movements and their achievements
Social movements in general collect historical achievements, obtained with a lot of struggle from its protagonists. For black movements, in particular, we can list it as the most symbolic and perhaps the oldest achievement the abolition of slavery in American countries.
AtEngland, due to its early industrialization, slavery was abolished in the early 19th century. O system capitalist liberal and industrial needed salaried labor, as there was a need for a large number of consumers, who, in order to consume, needed freedom and money. This need was imposed by high industrial production, because if there is large-scale production, large-scale consumption and sale is necessary.
in the Americas, however, the situation was different. The southern states of the United States, Central America and South America are countries of late industrialization and summarily agrarian economy. Unlike liberal and industrial capitalism, the agrarian economy supported slavery as a model of labor.
It was in this nineteenth century context that the abolitionist movements, composed of free black intellectuals who had the opportunity to study, as well as white supporters of the abolitionist cause, intensified. THE abolition of slavery late in Brazil was a huge achievement for black movements.
In the 1950s in the United States, there was still a legal system of social apartheid that segregated blacks and whites. Blacks could not attend the same schools as whites, public restrooms were separate and seats on buses were also separate. It was in this context that important personalities of the black movement emerged there, such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Malcom X. Luther King and Rosa Parks were supporters of peaceful resistance and of civil disobedience as fighting tactics. Malcom X was a fan of offensive fight, more radical.
Rosa Parks, in 1955, refused to make room for a white man on the public bus. Luther King organized protests in which blacks entered establishments that did not serve black people and refused to leave them. Malcom X he was the son of a black rights activist in the state of Nebraska, and his father was murdered. Malcolm later converted to Islam and founded the Organization of African American Unity (OUAA).
What these three personalities of the black movement in the United States had in common was the resistance to racial segregation in an extremely racist country. Even at that time, an entity that was gaining more and more strength in the US was the Ku Klux Klan — an openly racist, anti-Semitic and extremist organization.
![Angela Davis, philosopher, writer and activist for racial and gender equality in the United States. [1]](/f/f161dfa006330c804ade1954f0487b7e.jpg)
The struggle of these people and others who came after — such as Angela Davis and James Baldwin, part of the Black Power movement and the black Panthers (radical revolutionary group, with Marxist inspirations and guerrilla tactics) — brought as achievements the end of racial segregation regime.
Read too: How was the life of ex-slaves after the Golden Law?
Fight for racial equality in Brazil
In Brazil, despite not having an official racial segregation system, racism causes social segregation since the end of slavery. Here, the The struggle of the black movement was inspired by personalities,like Zombie and Dandara dos Palmares, leaderships in the biggest quilombo already recorded in our history. The black lawyer, journalist, writer and abolitionist was also an extremely important name. Luís Gama.
In the 20th century, the black movement had a strong presence of people, such as: the artist, writer, politician and activist Abdias do Nascimento; and Iyalorixá (mother of saint, leader of Candomblé terreiro) Mother Little Girl from Gantois, which defended the cult of Candomblé and won the admiration of artists who gave more visibility to the importance of preserving African-based religions.
other personalities important for the struggle of the black movement are: the maid and activist for the rights of female employees and blacks Laudelina de Campos Melo; the geographer and teacher Milton Santos; the Congolese anthropologist and professor naturalized in Brazil Kabengele Munanga; the teacher José Vicente; and, more recently, the philosopher and activist Djamila Ribeiro and the sociologist, activist and politician Marielle Franco.
marielle became known for her performance in defense of human rights, the black population and women. Since 2016, she had been denouncing the project of intervention by federal troops in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to reduce crime, which for Marielle was leading to the death of young blacks in the city. In addition, the then councilor denounced the action of militias in Rio de Janeiro communities. marielle went murdered on March 14, 2018, according to the police investigation, by a militia from Rio de Janeiro.
With so many personalities engaged in the fight, there were also many achievements. Although there is no segregation system in our country, racism maintains a veiled social segregation, which results in the exclusion of the black population from access to the best jobs, in greater difficulties in studying, in lower life expectancy, etc. That is why, the acting of movements, like the Unified Black Movement, is important in our country.
Like result of the performance of such movements we have, for example, Law 12.711/12 and Law 12.990/14, popularly known as Laws of Quotas. The first foresees the reservation of 50% of vacancies in courses at universities and federal institutes for public school students and students who declare themselves black, brown or indigenous. The second provides for the reservation of 20% of the vacancies offered in public tenders for federal public examinations for blacks, browns and indigenous peoples.
It was also sanctioned to Law 7,716/89, popularly known as Lei Caó, which provides detention of one to five years for the crime of racial discrimination. This law prohibits the refusal of access to public or private establishments, the impediment of access to transport public, refusal to enroll in educational institutions, offenses, aggression and unequal treatment for reasons racial; it also prohibits the making and publication of the swastika cross for the promotion of Nazism, as well as propagation of Nazi ideas.
Also access: The representation of blacks in Brazilian literature
Black Consciousness
![Zumbi dos Palmares, one of the greatest symbols of black resistance in Brazil. [2]](/f/130ba516f089dd9df1562c3589884ae8.jpg)
Other great achievement for the black movement in Brazil was the establishment of the day November 20th like the Nacional day of black consciousness. The date was chosen because it was the date of the murder of Zumbi dos Palmares, leader of the largest quilombo in Brazilian history, Quilombo dos Palmares. The establishment of the date occurred so that there is discussion and social awareness around the condition of black people in our country, about racism, and so that the struggle of the black people and the terrible years of slavery are not erased from our story.
The date was established for the first time, in 1978, by the Unified Black Movement, being officially recognized by the Law 10.639/03. On that day, NGOs, organized sectors of society, unions, entities linked to the black movement, educational institutions and part of the media promote debates, seminars and programs with the racial theme in our country.
See too: Black literature – the voices of black Brazilian writers
How did the Unified Black Movement (MNU) come about?
On June 18, 1978, the marketer Robson Silveira da Luz was accused of stealing fruit at the market where he worked. The 27-year-old black man was taken to the 44th Police Station in Guaianazes, in the East Zone of São Paulo. there the boy went tortured and dead. On July 7, 1978, a act against Robson's death brought together two thousand people on the steps of the Municipal Theater of São Paulo. That was the birth moment of the MNU.
From the act, various movement representatives who fought for racial equality joined together to become a single entity, stronger and cohesive. As achievements of the MNU, in addition to the proclamation of November 20 as the National Day of Black Consciousness, there is the prohibition of racial discrimination in the Federal Constitution of 1988 and the creation of the Law Caó, of 1989, which typifies the crime of racism in the code criminal.
Image credits
[1] Columbia GSAPP/commons
[2] Cassiohabib/Shutterstock
By M. Francisco Porfirio
Sociology Professor
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/sociologia/dia-consciencia-negra-heroi-chamado-zumbi.htm
