So I was reading the article below about the Black Brazilian state of Bahia and how they came to all 3 Brazilian presidential hopefuls, 1 of whom is Afro-Brazilian Marina Silva, with a list of things they want to see dialogue on and addressed. If you do not know, Brazils elections are today. This got me thinking about the 2016 US elections.
Here in America, Black issues are often ignored for many reasons, some being: 1. We overwhelmingly register as democrats instead of independents and thus democrats/republicans already account for us going democrat 2. We have no Super PACS to buy politicians and their campaigns and thus why talk about Black Americans during primaries and general election? 3. We simply have not taking the time to make a list of things we want discussed before we pledge our support
That can change though in 2016. With Hilary looking like the democrat candidate and her track flimsy track record in the Black community, should Blacks back her unconditionally?
If you were to create a list, what are some of the issues, grievances,demands that you would want to see make a list to be sent out in 2016?
Here in America, Black issues are often ignored for many reasons, some being: 1. We overwhelmingly register as democrats instead of independents and thus democrats/republicans already account for us going democrat 2. We have no Super PACS to buy politicians and their campaigns and thus why talk about Black Americans during primaries and general election? 3. We simply have not taking the time to make a list of things we want discussed before we pledge our support
That can change though in 2016. With Hilary looking like the democrat candidate and her track flimsy track record in the Black community, should Blacks back her unconditionally?
If you were to create a list, what are some of the issues, grievances,demands that you would want to see make a list to be sent out in 2016?
Blacks with Marina
On Saturday (9/20), black Bahian leaders linked to the PSB candidate received Marina and launched a manifesto in which they reported having discussed at the meeting, “confronting racism, the defense of racial equality, combating religious intolerance, ensuring the mainstreaming of government policy, central to the defense of the Republican, secular state and respect for ethnic and racial diversity.”
Further ensuring they guaranteed that Marina made commitments to these causes and expressed support for the candidate, presenting a text with proposals.
In this sense, new government actions that ensure public policies in progress and ensure ongoing dialogue with the black Brazilian community, actions that preserve the autonomy of the Movimento Negro, treating it with dignity and respect, recognizing the plurality and diversity existing in it are necessary – imperative in a democratic environment in which we live – to ensure their participation in all decisions relating to the promotion of racial equality in the country.
We want a government that dialogues with all forms of expression of Braziliannegritude, regardless of the policy matrix to which it is linked or the religious denomination to which it belongs. Similarly, we want a government that is a partner of these organizations in all actions aimed at eradicating racial inequalities in Brazil, particularly in relation to black Brazilian youth who have been victim of genocide. We want a clear commitment to the future government that is, on one side, maintain the achievements to date, particularly racial quotas for black men and women in universities, by means of a strong program of permanence of these young people in higher education, and on the other, that steps leading to the acceleration of the process of promoting racial equality in Brazil are adopted, as the effectiveness of public tenders, with racial quotas, already approved by the National Congress.
Black leaders presented the candidate with a list of issues important to the black community
That confront racism and to promote racial equality in Brazil are an integral part of the design of a fraternal and egalitarian nation, for strategic and sustainable development. Proposals:
1) Support for the creation of the National Fund to Combat Racism: an instrument that should centralize and coordinate the resources of the federal government for the implementation of public policies needed to combat racism, funding and promoting actions in partnerships with civil society organizations in the field of human rights, the Movimento Negro and anti-racism.
2) Religious Intolerance: ensure the full exercise of religious freedom in the country, inalienable constitutional rights of Brazilian citizens. (Art.5-VI). Combat and punish in an exemplary manner all those (individuals and institutions) that promote or exercise religious intolerance in Brazil, in particular against the religions of African origin, by means of national and educational campaigns.
3) Auto de resistência (Auto resistance or resistance of arrest): extinguishing of auto resistance, one of the most nefarious tools used by the Brazilian government, through the police force, in conflict with society, particularly against poor black youth of the country, which has contributed greatly to the impunity of crimes committed by police officers, and in defense of citizen police.
4) Secretariat for the Promotion of Policies of Racial Equality – SEPPIR: ensure the permanence of this institutional space as well as provide it with human, material and budgetary resources so that it can meet its objectives for the articulation of public policies promoting racial equality in the governmental environment.
5) Law 10.639/2003 and Law 11,645/08: monitor compliance of said Law, as well as expand the training of teachers by the Ministry of Education, with the goal of training all teachers in the elementary and middle school for teaching of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous History and Culture.
6) Quotas in the University: maintaining the Quota System in Brazilian higher education and expansion of permanence of cotista (quota students) programs in universities. Adopting, also, actions to encourage and guarantee the equitable participation of black students in the Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science without Borders) program.
7) Quilombos: provide INCRA the technical conditions and human resources needed to accelerate the procedures for elaboration of technical reports of delimitation of the remaining quilombo territories and subsequent titration.
8) Black Youth: Combating violence against black youth through inclusion programs for the first job, full-time schools, access to cultural goods and support the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, proposed by Senator Lidice da Mata, of Bahia, to investigate the causes of the true extermination of black youth in the country.
9) Black women: contribute to the overcoming of all forms of institutional violence that affect black women, as well as the strengthening and expanding of their participation in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies.
10) Capoeira: guaranteeing the regulation of the practice of the condition of Teacher and Mestre (Master) of Capoeira, ensuring the inclusion of capoeira in schools, according to Article 26/A of the LDB and tLaw 10.639/2003 and support to the non-subordination of Capoeira to the Federal Council of Physical Education.
11) Cultura Negra (Black Cultura): enlarge the budget (assuming the commitment of non- contingency) of the Fundação Cultural Palmares (Palmares Cultural Foundation) and promoting public competitions in order that this institution has the technical, human and budgetary resources necessary for the fulfillment of its mission to preserve, develop and disseminate cultural manifestations of African origin in Brazil.
12) Health of the black population: ensuring the resources necessary to expand the Health Program of the black population, in particular the prevention and monitoring Sickle Cell Diseases in Brazil.
13) Exchange: creation of Afro Latino and Caribbean Observatory, as well as holding festivals, meetings and other activities to intensify the ongoing exchange of information among Latin American and African countries in the Black Diaspora, thus contributing to exchange of experiences and to the advancement of racial equality in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Africa.
14) Environmental Racism: ensuring public policies that guarantee the sustainability and combating environmental injustices against the black population.
15) Work and Diversity: to ensure, within the federal public service environment, state-owned enterprises in mixed economies controlled by the union, private companies encouraged by the federal government, respect for ethnic and racial diversity in the occupation of positions and functions of direction, and fostering economic entrepreneurship of the black population, from the expansion of tax incentives and special lines of credit aimed at the qualification of this segment.
16) Intensify the economic relations between Brazil and the African and Caribbean countries, encouraging the participation of Afro-Brazilians in business through diversity and encourage the training of staff for operations in foreign trade.
