""Bullets from the military police ('PM') only kill black people". Protest in São Paulo, 2014. Image: Oswaldo Cornetti/fotos públicas. Some rights reserved.
Brazilian black movements have been organising and protesting against racial violence and injustice for decades. When the Black Lives Matter movement became a global force, activists in Brazil adopted the rallying cry to bolster their own historical fight. In July 2016, the month before the Olympic Games, US delegates from Black Lives Matter travelled to Rio de Janeiro for what became known as 'Julho Negro', or 'Black July' – a conversation between leaders of the movement and local groups working to highlight issues such as escalating police killings and militarisation in Brazil (particularly in the favelas), the continuing incarceration of black youth, and the racist structure of the state, based on centuries of exploitation. Brazil's black movements continued to grow in 2017, with numerous protests in São Paulo, Rio and elsewhere. Here, Brazilian sociologist Tulio Custódio describes the black experience in relation to revolt and resistance. This article is part of Right to Protest.
Abdias do Nascimento (1934-2011) was one of the leading black intellectuals in Brazil. He was active in theatre, art and politics. His life was marked by activism and he managed to reconcile creative activity and political thinking.
