Black Women in Brazil - Jean-Baptiste Debret
Thoughts on Brazil, Black Brazilians and Barack Obama
Commentary by Black Kos Editor Deoliver47
Seeing photos of President Obama and his family in Brazil this week, meeting with President Dilma Rousseff, visting a favela, and watching Barack, Michelle and the girls watch a demonstration of capoeira there (see news below) brought back some memories of another President and the acute embarrassment I felt for this country to have as Head of State a man who could ask this question:
"Do You Have Blacks, Too?' Bush Asks Brazil President"
Do You Have Blacks, Too?' -
Bush Asks Brazil President
5-29-2
WASHINGTON - It was Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor, who helped her boss out of the embarassing situation. During a conversation between the two presidents, George W. Bush, 55, (USA) and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, 71, (Brazil), Bush bewildered his colleague with the question "Do you have blacks, too?"
Rice, 47, noticing how astonished the Brazilian was, saved the day by telling Bush "Mr. President, Brazil probably has more blacks than the USA. Some say it's the country with the most blacks outside Africa."
Later, Brazilian president Cardoso said, regarding Latin America, Bush was still in his "learning phase."
http://www.gwbush.com/...
Original article in Der Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/...
Jean-Baptiste Debret
I realize American cluelessness about our large neighbor to the South was not and is not limited to former Presidents. None of my college students were able to name the new President of Brazil, though one did mention that the new President was female. All of my students are shocked each year when I mention the size of Brazil's official “black” population, second only to Nigeria’s – but are completely confused when I attempt to explain that having African ancestry in Brazil does not automatically make one “black” in the US sense of that term.
If we were to use the same determinants of blackness that are part of what we accept as socially constructed African-American “race” here at home, meaning having one fairly recent (under 8 generations) African ancestor, the “black” population of Brazil would swell to a majority.
In the census of 2006 in Brazil
"Blacks number 12.9 million, or 7.4% of Brazil's population".
But these figures have little meaning if viewed through our lens.
The largest single group classifies themselves as “Pardos” (browns) or
"42.6% or 79.782 million people of Brazil's population" . Add them up about 50% of Brazil’s population is black or brown.
According to the 2006 census, there were more than 93 million White Brazilians, comprising 49.7% of Brazil's population. But these census categories are problematic, if we attempt to understand them in our US terms.
When in Brazil – I met many “white” Brazilians. However what I had a hard time with was the fact that they openly admitted to having an African grandparent, or great grandparent. They called themselves “afro-descendentes”. Rarely have I met a “white” American willing to openly acknowledge having recent African ancestry. It would erase their whiteness here. Not so in Brazil.
What category one selects has no genetic basis – it is simply self-selected based on phenotype – skin color, hair texture and features, therefore there are families whose children (from the same two parents) may be classified as “white” “brown” or “black”.
Let me share with you briefly part of what I wrote about my own experiences in Brazil:
As I walked down the street in Rio and in the little town of Cachoeiras de Macacu I marveled at the number of black folks I saw - though intellectually I've done a lot of research and reading about Brazil, the actual experience played out differently. Walking with me was my friend Maria, who is also an anthropologist by training. Since she also lived in the United States for so many years she is able to switch "racial gears" so to speak, and she asked me what I thought was a harmless and idle question. She asked that I point out people who in the States would be automatically classed as African-American.
As we walked along I indicated person after person, a few I selected as being what I would call "white" in the US, and others would fall into some vague category the US frames as "Latino" or "Hispanic looking" - but the majority of average people I saw, could easily "pass for black" in the US. I wasn't in a rich upper class area - neither was I in a favela/shanty town.
Maria smiled a Mona Lisa-ish smile and as I pointed out person after person she shook her head....answering ..no, no, no - they are white. A few she acknowledged as black.
Puzzled - I said, ''impossible". The only people she selected as black were far darker in complexion than most African-Americans. The others were "white", she said. A few I had selected were "caboclo" (mixed indigenous ancestry) she added. These were the ones I had put into my fuzzy Latino category.
She suggested I erase my preconceptions about race - since it is a social construct, and look only at skin color - as a descriptive, adding slyly that I was white too. I was shocked. Not me!!!
This was impossible for me to accept - I've spent my whole life being black - and wasn't about to accept that designation.
I then made a point of introducing myself to people we met as a Black American. They were quite puzzled - and a few ventured to correct me.
All of the people who I was told by Maria were white - and a few she designated as "white white" since they had blue or green eyes, or blondish or sandy hair, were also people who when discussing their families - ALL had an African grandparent or great grandparent. All stated simply that so and so in their family had been a slave.
And this was recent - not ancient history. Maria informed me that the last former slave died in Brazil in 2001. I knew that slavery in Brazil was the last to end in the New World - but never thought about it in generational terms. Most people my age actually knew former slaves. Many were their relatives.
Brazil embarked up a "whitenization" program in the late 1800's, right after the emancipation of the slaves in 1888. They encouraged migration from Europe, more than likely frightened of the huge mass of Africans who were the overwhelming majority of the population.
Differing from the US - Brazil did not define "blackness" the same way the US did - but the historical circumstances were different. Never were blacks the majority in the US. The social construction of "white" and "black" in the US, which included "mulattos" in the black category - was enforced through the one drop rule - one drop of "African blood" made you "black".
Brazil on the other hand had to manufacture "whiteness", not only by importing it - but by home-growing lighter-skinned citizens.
Jean-Baptiste Debret
Does this mean there is no racism in Brazil? Hardly. Many of those people classed as “black” live in poverty. There are still stigmas attached to blackness – but on the other hand are there “whites” or “browns” also living in poverty – yes.
Skin color/phenotype will certainly be a factor in determining social class in many parts of Brazil, but money can also “whiten”.
Disparities:
According to the 2007 Brazilian national resource, the white workers had an average monthly income almost twice that of blacks and pardos (brown). The blacks and brown earned on average 1.8 minimum wages, while the whites had a yield of 3.4 minimum wages. Among workers with over 12 years of study, the difference was also large. While the whites earned on average R$15.90 per hour, the blacks and brown received R$11.40, when they worked the same period. Among the 1% richest population of Brazil, only 12% were blacks and brown, while whites constituted 86.3% of the group. In the 10% poorest there were 73.9% of blacks and brown, and 25.5% of whites.
13.4% of white Brazilians were graduated, compared to 4% of blacks and brown. 24.2% of whites were studying in a College or University, compared to 8.4% of blacks and brown. In 2007, 57.9% of white students between 18 and 24 years old were attending a University or a College. However, only 25.4% of black and brown students of the same age group studied at the same level. Of just over 14 million illiterates in Brazil, nearly 9 million were black or pardo. The illiteracy rate among white people over 15 years old was 6.1%. Among blacks and brown of the same age group over 14%.[75]
Almost half of the Brazilian population (49.4%) is white. The brown form 42.3%, the black 7.4%, and the indigenous or "yellow", according to the IBGE, only 0.8%. The region with the highest proportion of brown is the north, with 68.3%. The population of the Northeast is composed of 8.5% of blacks, the largest proportion. In the South, 78.7% of the population is white.
I have often wondered how much of what we don't get taught about Brazil has to do specifically with this very question of "race", and their social construction of it. In order to teach Brazil would mean we would have to also take a deeper look at our own categories and question them.
In any case it raises questions, that I don't have answers to.
I'd like to close with a short BBC clip
City of God welcomes Barack Obama
Black Kos community member mpimpa (Maria) has invited me back to Brazil in August. I look forward to having more to report when I return.
"Tenha um bom dia" (Have a good day)
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News by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Scathing Report on New Orleans Police Highlights Racial Bias. MSNBC: Feds: Pattern of misconduct by New Orleans police
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A report released by the Justice Department on Thursday concludes that New Orleans police officers have used deadly force without justification, repeatedly made unconstitutional arrests and failed to adequately protect New Orleans residents.
It also concluded that the department has engaged in racial profiling. The Associated Press reports:
"NOPD use of force data also shows a troubling racial disparity that warrants a searching inquiry into whether racial bias influenced the use of force at NOPD," the report said.
"Of the 27 instances between January 2009 and May 2010 in which NOPD officers intentionally discharged their firearms at people, all 27 of the subjects of this deadly force were African-American," the report stated without specifying if any -- or how many -- were fatally wounded.
A review of "resisting arrest" reports documenting use of force over the same period found blacks were the subjects 81 out of 96 times.
What's to blame? A whole list of things: inadequate supervision, ineffective methods of taking and investigating complaints, poor recruitment, bad training, and ignorance and disregard of policies (which are often unclear in the first place), according to the findings.
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Alabama property owners pay the lowest property taxes in the country. A federal lawsuit set for trial Monday argues that isn't simply a reflection of an anti-tax electorate, but designed to discriminate against Black schoolchildren. Huntsville Times: Trial set to begin over Alabama property tax system, plaintiffs want it overturned.
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The case is Lynch v. Alabama, named after one of the plaintiffs.
The non-jury trial will be heard by U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith and has wide-ranging implications. Smith is being asked to strike down six property tax-related provisions in the Alabama Constitution and then give the Alabama Legislature a year to craft a new approach.
The suit is being brought on behalf of families of black schoolchildren in Lawrence and Sumter counties and families of white schoolchildren in Lawrence County. The plaintiffs range in age from preschool to high school. Their attorneys are also asking the court to certify them as a class representing black and white schoolchildren statewide.
The state of Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley and State Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee - in their official roles - are the defendants in the case.
Drayton Nabers, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and a former state finance director, is leading the state's defense. The state's attorneys have argued there is no proof of any particular injury to the parties involved, no sign of singling out black students, and that both Lawrence and Sumter counties receive state education funding above the statewide median.
The state's lawyers also have argued the plaintiffs request would cause significant disruption and uncertainty, even before any new taxes could be levied.
"If, during Plaintiffs' proposed one year stay of any injunction issued by this court, the Legislature were to fail to take action ... then elected officials in counties and school districts across the state would scramble to determine if and how they could reduce millage rates to avoid the incalculable damage to their citizens that would result from 1,000 percent property tax increases," the state argued in a 2008 motion to dismiss the case.
The plaintiffs argue the 1901 Alabama Constitution's property tax provisions were designed to shield large landowners in Alabama's agriculture-rich Black Belt, from facing significant property taxes that would help pay to send black children to school.
The constitution limits what the state, cities and counties can levy in property taxes and also limits how much can be taxed to fund public education.
State Rep. Mike Ball, R-Madison, said the 1901 Alabama Constitution's tax provisions were shaped by wealthy white landowners in the Black Belt who were afraid of black voters and "actually stole some elections to get there."
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Teaching children about eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise are the first steps towards healthy adulthood. Black America Web: Blacks Should Take Obesity Problem Seriously
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In the early 1940s, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt worked with chefs to prepare healthy, inexpensive White House meals as part of her campaign to promote responsible cooking during the Great Depression.
Seventy years later, First Lady Michelle Obama has customized Roosevelt's concept to lead a White House nutrition-based crusade of her own: A national initiative called “Let’s Move!” designed to end childhood obesity through proper diet and exercise.
Obama, who is writing a book about the garden she planted on the South Lawn of the White House, is the architect of a remarkable 21st century effort to confront a legitimate health issue that many parents want to ignore.
But the warning signs are everywhere.
During a recent trip to Detroit, while awaiting a table at a restaurant, I noticed four overweight black children eating heaping helpings of fried foods while their parents doused their meals with salt and hot sauce. There were no salads or vegetables on the table. It was refreshing to see a black family eating dinner together, but it was troubling to see exactly what they were eating.
Multiply that family by millions of other black folks who have spent years practicing unhealthy eating habits, and it's no wonder that black America is experiencing a health crisis.
Every day, we’re putting our children at risk by allowing them to eat whatever they want, whenever they want – and it’s a detrimental cycle. Those smothered pork chops we're serving up are smothering our kids.
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Haitians are voting in the delayed second round of the presidential election, amid an ongoing struggle to rebuild after last year's earthquake. BBC: Haitians elect president in delayed second round
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On the ballot papers are pop star Michel Martelly, and academic and former first lady Mirlande Manigat.
The poll is being held just two days after former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide returned from seven years in exile in South Africa.
Final results are not expected until mid-April.
Haitians have a choice between two markedly different candidates: Mirlande Manigat is a 70-year-old academic and wife of a former president, while Michel Martelly, 50, is a singer and entertainer known to his fans as "Sweet Micky".
They emerged after recounts and challenges as the top two from November's chaotic first round, which was marred by violence and fraud.
Whoever wins will face a mammoth challenge.
Haiti is struggling to rebuild after the devastating January 2010 earthquake, with some 800,000 people still living in camps.
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US President Barack Obama delivered a speech in Rio de Janeiro, hailing the shared values of Brazil and the US. BBC: Obama praises Brazil democracy in Rio speech
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Mr Obama arrived in Rio de Janeiro after a day of talks in the capital, Brasilia, with Ms Rousseff and business leaders.
In a joint news conference, he and Ms Rousseff emphasised Brazil's growing economic power and the opportunities to work more closely together.
However, there was no direct US endorsement of Brazil's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a move that left Ms Rousseff clearly frustrated at the lack of stronger support.
Mr Obama is set to visit the city's famous Christ the Redeemer statue Ahead of Mr Obama's arrival in Rio, authorities stepped up security and closed a number of streets in preparation.
Mr Obama arrived in Rio de Janeiro after a day of talks in the capital, Brasilia, with Ms Rousseff and business leaders.
In a joint news conference, he and Ms Rousseff emphasised Brazil's growing economic power and the opportunities to work more closely together.
However, there was no direct US endorsement of Brazil's bid to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a move that left Ms Rousseff clearly frustrated at the lack of stronger support.
Ahead of Mr Obama's arrival in Rio, authorities stepped up security and closed a number of streets in preparation.
Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle, visited the City of God (Cidade de Deus) favela, one of several hundred shantytowns that dot Rio's hills.
The shantytown is one of several "pacified" under a programme to reduce violence in the city, which is set to be in the international limelight with the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games two years later.
Residents in the City of God shantytown get ready for their high-profile visitor
Mr Obama was treated to a capoeira display during his visit to the City of God
Mr Obama tried out his football skills
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While colleges from across the country are battling for an NCAA basketball title, there’s a better story going on in the wrestling gym of Arizona State University. News One: Undefeated One-Legged Black Wrestler Wins NCAA Title
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It was Robles' last college wrestling match, and he says the last of his life, and the sold-out crowd gave him a standing ovation as soon as his dominating 7-1 win was complete.
"I had a lot of butterflies going out there," Robles said.
"I've dreamed about stepping on that stage a dozen times, and this whole year I've just been preparing for that moment. And I was scared. I was scared out there, but as soon as I hit that first takedown, I sort of relaxed. I said, 'OK, back to business. Same drill as usual, like every other match.' "
As a sophomore two years ago, Robles finished fourth in the NCAA championship, and then took what he considered to be a step back as a junior, when he went 25-11 and finished seventh.
Robles wanted to be a national champion, not just an All-American, but to accomplish his goal he had to become mentally tougher.
The physical part he had down, even with only one leg.
Robles has a bigger upper body than most of his opponents in the 125-pound weight class, and in a sport that is all about imposing your style on your opponent, Robles has a distinct advantage.
He cannot stand up and wrestle, so he forces his opponents to stay low on the mat.
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Voices and Soul
by Justice Putnam
Black Kos Tuesday's Chile, Poetry Editor
The Landscape has always featured prominently in American Literature. From the Black Mountain School to the Beats, the encroachments between the wild, the pasture, the farm, the town and the city have always been important components to a telling of the American Story.
The American story is the heat-shimmer of an oily-black pavement in a fetid backwater town; a shin-deep walk in a warm salt-water sea to a remote South Carolina island; an act of redemption in a red-dirt needle-park city; and the disordered seasons while traveling on the trail...
Way Out West
(For Gary Snyder)
As simple an act
as opening the eyes. Merely
coming into things by degrees.
Morning: some tear is broken
on the wooden stairs
of my lady’s eyes. Profusions
of green. The leaves. Their
constant prehensions. Like old
junkies on Sheridan Square, eyes
cold and round. There is a song
Nat Cole sings . . . This city
& the intricate disorder
of the seasons.
Unable to mention
something as abstract as time.
Even so, (bowing low in thick
smoke from cheap incense; all
kinds questions filling the mouth,
till you suffocate & fall dead
to opulent carpet.) Even so,
shadows will creep over your flesh
& hide your disorder, your lies.
There are unattractive wild ferns
outside the window
where the cats hide. They yowl
from there at nights. In heat
& bleeding on my tulips.
Steel bells, like the evil
unwashed Sphinx, towing in the twilight.
Childless old murderers, for centuries
with musty eyes.
I am distressed. Thinking
of the seasons, how they pass,
how I pass, my very youth, the
ripe sweet of my life; drained off . . .
Like giant rhesus monkeys;
picking their skulls,
with ingenious cruelty
sucking out the brains.
No use for beauty
collapsed, with moldy breath
done in. Insidious weight
of cankered dreams. Tiresias’
weathered cock.
Walking into the sea, shells
caught in the hair. Coarse
waves tearing the tongue.
Closing the eyes. As
simple an act. You float
-- Amiri Baraka
(I've pledged the minimum $150 to help heat freezing folks in need on the Rosebud Reservation. Navajo has an important diary posted with all the particulars. Even a small amount can work towards building the minimum. Could you please help?)
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The front porch is now open. Pull up a chair, grab some food, sit and talk with us for a while.
Front Porch Music from Milton Nascimento