Eliane Cavalleiro earned a Ph.D in education and has written extensively about the affects of racism against Afro-Brazilian children in Brazilian schools. From a very early age, Afro-Brazilian children have already internalized prejudiced ideologies connected to phenotype in Brazilian society. This situation is often made worse because many white children have also internalized a sense of superiority over their black colleagues. Teachers often make these painful experiences of racism worse by: 1) Ignoring the problem, 2) not knowing how to deal with the problem or 3) making the situation worse through their words and gestures than ostracize the black child even more. Cavalleiro is the president of ABPN, (Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores/as Negros/as (Brazilian Association of Black Researchers) and organizer of COPENE (Congresso Brasileiro de Pesquisadoras(es) Negras(es) or Brazilian Congress of Black Researchers) and is also married to American actor Danny Glover.
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