We explain what Black Consciousness Day is in Brazil, when it is celebrated, and why. Also, its origin.
What is Black Consciousness Day?
Black Consciousness Day, also known as National Zumbi Day and Black Consciousness Day, is a Brazilian holiday that takes place on November 20th. It was introduced into the Brazilian calendar to promote reflection on the role of Black culture in Brazilian society. The date commemorates the struggle for freedom of enslaved Black people during the colonial era.
Black Consciousness Day encourages reflection on Afro-descendant citizenship throughout Brazilian history, including the present day. It is considered a day of combat against racism and defense of human rights. You must read about Natural Numbers once.
On the eve of Black Consciousness Day, various groups within the Black movement (a cultural movement that fights for the rights of Black Brazilians) organize talks, celebrations, and educational events aimed at combating prejudice, questioning social roles, and valuing Black ethnic heritage.
When is Black Consciousness Day celebrated and why?
Black Consciousness Day takes place on November 20th, in commemoration of the murder of Zumbi dos Palmares (1655-1695), a Black North Brazilian warrior who fought against the slave-owning order.
Zumbi was the last leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares. Quilombos were independent, self-sufficient communities made up of African slaves who had escaped from colonial plantations.
At that time, the Quilombo dos Palmares was the largest community of free slaves in Brazil. It consisted of several villages and occupied part of the territory of what is now the state of Alagoas (then the “Capitanía de Pernambuco”). Their resistance to the colonial and slave-owning order lasted more than a century, from approximately 1580 to 1710. It was home to a Black majority population with white and Indigenous minorities.
The quilombos’ struggle against slave owners included military resistance against Royal Army troops and bandeirante mercenaries (mercenaries hired by plantation owners to subdue insurgent slaves). This is the struggle for freedom and human dignity that the commemoration of Black Consciousness Day seeks to vindicate. Maybe you should definitely read about General Properties of Matter once.
What does Black Consciousness Day represent?
Black Consciousness Day represents the anti-racist struggle of Black communities throughout Brazilian history. Like other European colonies, Brazil was founded as a racist state, having grown rich from the exploitation of Black people subjugated in Africa and then transported to the Americas to be sold as slaves.
Through the commemoration of this day, we seek to highlight this tragic aspect of Brazilian history and reflect on the racist elements that persist in Brazilian culture today.
Origin of Black Consciousness Day
Since the 1960s, Brazil’s national calendar commemorated the abolition of slavery, which was outlawed on May 13, 1888, with the Golden Law. However, in the 1970s, the Black movement began to criticize this commemoration for lacking representation of Black culture.
Some groups from the Black movement met in 1971 in Porto Alegre to question the legitimacy and representation of May 13 and to highlight the struggle of their ancestors. This gesture was the root of Black Consciousness Day.
The participating social activists included Antônio Carlos Côrtes, Oliveira Silveira, Ilmo da Silva, Vilmar Nunes, Jorge Antônio dos Santos (also known as Jorge Xangô), and Luiz Paulo Assis Santos. They were members of the Palmares Group, dedicated to the study and research of Black Brazilian heritage.
The first commemorative event of what later became Black Consciousness Day took place on November 20, 1971, in an act of cultural resistance at the Marcilio Dias Club in Porto Alegre. There, tribute was paid to Zumbi dos Palmares, a Black warrior who fought against slavery in northeastern Brazil.
References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- Silva, V. C. P. (2014). Black Consciousness Day in Brazil: Some Reflections. Journal of History: Books: Histories, Societies, and Cultures, 2(03).
- Paula, B. X. (2011). Afro-Brazilian History and Culture and the Contribution of Populations of African Origin in Brazil. Historical Studies–CDHRP, 3.
