Black Philanthropy Month promoved talks on how to fight structural racism

Por Instituto Beja, September 3, 2022
Black Philanthropy Month promoved talks on how to fight structural racism

The month of August was marked by events and initiatives that highlighted the importance of the fight for social justice and equality and also how to combat structural racism. The second edition of the event “Black Philanthropy Month” took place on August 4th and had the theme “Strength – The urgency of now! From Dream to Action”. Organized by the Group of Institutes, Foundations and Enterprises (GIFE), the largest association of private social investors to discuss the role of companies in this issue.

Cássio França, secretary-general of GIFE, affirms that third sector organizations work to seek solutions that respond to social challenges and demands. “We have a public commitment to contribute to the promotion of social justice in Brazil. This process can only be properly exercised if Private Social Investment understands that social justice in the country necessarily involves the political protagonism of black organizations and leaderships,” says França.

“There is a movement already organized outside of Brazil of black philanthropy, private social investment. When we bring this concept from outside Brazil, it is important to highlight that black philanthropy in the United States, where this movement started, is promoted by agents, black philanthropists who work in this field of private social investment. It is not a philanthropy focused on the racial agenda.
Here in Brazil, even with the movements that allowed social mobility, we don’t have black philanthropists – capitalized blacks that can manage funds. So, it ends up looking like philanthropy focused on the racial cause. We are so far behind that we don’t even have black people, or very few, in management positions in white philanthropy.

So, we have to be careful with these contradictions, but the benefit is that at least this agenda is being discussed. We should not have the feeling that there is an organized black philanthropy in Brazil. What we have are white organizations that are putting some priority on the racial issue. The role of this black philanthropy movement also appears in this sense: how much the third sector and philanthropy need to shed more light on racial issues,” says the advisor of the Beja Institute and project coordinator of the Peregum Black Reference Institute, Márcio Black.

The advisor of the Beja Institute and project coordinator of the Peregum Black Reference Institute, Márcio Black

Program tip for Saturday (9/3):
To dive into the anti-racist debate, go to the first edition of the congress “Rio, an anti-racist city” this Saturday (9/3) at the Museum of Tomorrow, in downtown Rio. The congress will feature panels and debates focused on cities and anti-racism, with the themes of right to the city, environment, security, and public policies.
Click here for more information about the event.

Learn more about Black Philanthropy Month:

The event mobilizes about 17 million people in initiatives around the world, in more than 40 countries. In the 2020 and 2021 editions, it had more than 1,500 participants from 30 countries throughout the month, in addition to the engagement of more than 1 million people via social media.

The Black Philanthropy Movement emerged in 2011 in the United States. Today, it is present in African countries and Brazil. However, brotherhoods and sisterhoods have existed in the country since the time when slavery was still legalized. Before the Lei Áurea, which banned slavery in Brazil in 1888, these organizations bought the freedom of slaves. The struggle for social justice and equality continues to this day.

Data still shows social inequalities faced by black people

When we look at data involving the black population, we have that the police who kill the most in the world are also the ones who kill the most blacks. In 2020, 78.9% of the 6,416 people killed in police interventions were black: 76.2% young and 98.4% male. The other side of this coin is that black police officers are also those who die the most: 62.7% against 34.5% of white professionals. The data are from the Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública 2021.

The disparities also affect the black population when the subject is work. According to the Racism in Brazil Research, conducted by the Locomotiva Institute based on PNAD – IBGE in 2021, black and brown people represent 33% of the approximately 15 million unemployed. Black men and women earn, respectively, 46% and 49% less than whites with equivalent educational background. Click here to access the full survey.

Learn about some philanthropic funds led by black people in Brazil

– Agbara Fund

Created in 2020, it is the first philanthropic fund aimed at black women in Brazil. Its mission is to promote access to economic rights by empowering the largest number of black women initiatives, enabling financial and emotional independence. More than 6 thousand women have been impacted by the fund, and more than 108 thousand financial contributions have been made possible.
Learn more: https://fundoagbara.org.br/

– Baobá Fund
First exclusive fund to promote racial equity for the black population in Brazil. Created in 2011, the Baobá Fund works to strengthen and invest, primarily through public notices, in black organizations and leaders committed to fighting racism, promoting racial equity and social justice.
Learn more: https://baoba.org.br/