Associations launch campaign for more black people in parliaments
The Black Coalition for Rights (Coalizão Negra por Direitos), which brings together over 200 organizations, on Tuesday (Jul 16) launched the 2024 Elections – Quilombo in Parliaments. The initiative seeks to influence this year’s municipal elections in Brazil, in a bid to increase the number of black mayors and councilors committed to fighting inequality and racism and to building a democratic project for the country.
Founded in late 2019 during a meeting held in São Paulo, the coalition is made up of various associations, NGOs, collectives, and institutions. Since its inception, it has denounced inequality and violence against black people, holding demonstrations countrywide.
“By presenting a manifesto with guidelines, the Coalition reaffirms its commitment to increasing the presence of black leaders in municipal parliaments, seeking to elect candidates devoted to combating racial inequalities and promoting democracy,” said Ingrid Farias, who works on the coalition’s coordination team.
“This movement not only promotes the political participation of black people, but also strengthens agendas such as racial, gender, climate, and economic justice, essential as they are for social change and the democratic advancement of the country.”
Mapping candidacies
The main goal of the coalition for the election is mapping and supporting the candidacies of black people involved in racial justice, reparation, gender justice, climate justice, and economic justice. “The initiative will focus on the daily lives of black people in the cities as well as in the country,” the coalition said in a statement.
In a similar campaign in 2022, 144 candidates were supported. Of these, 29 were elected, some 20 percent. Eleven were elected to the lower house and 18 to different state assemblies.
