RACISM AND THE RULES OF THE GAME
In Brazil, there was a group that worked diligently so that the black population could socially ascend. These gentlemen and ladies, in the time of our great-grandparents, were concerned about what would come after the Abolition. How would we enter the job market and what was the best way to contribute to the country's growth?
They established schools where there were none, vocational courses, organized documents, and opened small newspapers to spread their ideas. They even taught how to behave: they emphasized the importance of always keeping well-groomed hair and polished shoes. They did their part. Some more confident individuals even asserted that if black men and women studied, they would be respected and never humiliated again.
These values were echoed by everyone around us. Whether in school or at home, it would be enough to do our part, so that respect and full citizenship would be achieved. After all, these are the citizen's rewards, guaranteed by justice and the rules of the game in a society governed by capital and labor.
The episode involving Matheus Ribeiro, that is, the notion of suspicion in the face of a crime that occurred in the vicinity, is one of the many Everyday Racisms that transcend the passage of time to remind us of the structures that need to change.
But what is simpler: to teach those people that black men and women should not be searched, have their belongings inspected every time they feel wronged/threatened, or remind the Brazilian State that we did our part and that it must defend us? To enforce the principles that legitimize it?
Those who write about these issues would say that what happened to Matheus Ribeiro is Structural Racism; that the couple acted on the values of Whiteness, which has always acted this way; that Matheus is a body marked by a policy that reads him as a threat, a target, as a suspect.
The issue raised by Redes da Maré, through the Black House of Maré, relates to the lessons that will be passed on to our children: is it not worth working, getting up early, facing daily challenges, and embracing democratic participation?
Once again, the fundamental rules are being broken.
We are ashamed in the face of the gentlemen and ladies who believed that doing our part would earn us respect!
Photo © Douglas Lopes
Black House of Maré
Rio de Janeiro, May 17, 2021
