Under the motto, “Palmares stands tall, and racism falls. Zumbi and Dandara live in us!” demonstrators walked from Paulista Avenue to the Municipal Theater in central São Paulo during the 21st Black Consciousness March on Wednesday (20). Support for the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution that ends the six-day work week, authored by federal deputy Erika Hilton, was the highlight of the march, which also demanded an end to Black genocide in Brazil and celebrated November 20 as a national holiday for the first time.
In addition to Erika Hilton, other parliamentarians were present at the march, including state deputy Ediane Maria, the first domestic worker elected to Legislative Assembly. Maria pointed out that her fellow workers are still "locked up in family homes." "Overturning the six-day work week schedule is fighting for dignity," she said, arguing how this would benefit the category to which she belongs.
Elected as a counselor in São Paulo, Amanda Paschoal also highlighted the need to end the current working hours provided for by the Brazilian laws for the benefit of the Black population. "This exploitative schedule needs to end. We will remain articulate, quilombos [community formed by enslaved people who escaped their enslavers], occupying the streets, Parliament, and all spaces of power to guarantee the bright future the Black community deserves."
The demonstration called for an end to the six-day work week, which mainly affects the Black population / Kaique Santos/Brasil de Fato
Genocide of the Black Population
Police violence and the incarceration of the Black population were also highlighted in speeches during the event. Figures from the Brazilian Public Security Forum were cited by Edmar Silva, a union leader from the Federation of Workers in Educational Establishments in the State of São Paulo and an activist from the São Paulo State Teachers' Union.
"In 2022, 47,508 people were murdered by the Military Police, 83.1% of them Black men," he warned. "We need to put an end to the genocide of the Black population."
Councillor-elect Keit Lima highlighted the importance of Black Awareness Day, which was celebrated for the first time as a public holiday throughout Brazil. "It's a day to celebrate all those who paved this way, but also to remember that the inequality of this country has color, the killing and genocide of the Black population. It's our Black men who are imprisoned and murdered by the state," she said.
"It's also a day of struggle and commitments for us to build a country where people can live because when we're fighting racism, we're building a country so everyone can have their rights guaranteed," she added.
The Unified Black Movement, the March of Black Women, the Black Coalition for Rights, and the National Coordination of Black Entities were some of the organizations present at the event. The march also featured cultural events such as capoeira circles and the drums of the Ilú Oba de Min group.
