Note from BW of Brazil: With every passing year, more and more Afro-Brazilians are staking their claims in entrepreneurial enterprises and a number of black women have been able to carve out their own niche in the so-called ‘ethnic market’. And what’s good to know is that the market is finally beginning to understand that catering to the Afro-Brazilian community could open up a whole new world of opportunities for potential entrepreneurs and the consumers that would be interested in their products and services.
“Julho das Pretas” (July of the Black Women) seminar promotes Black Women and Entrepreneurship in Salvador, Bahia
by Claudia Alexander
On Wednesday, the Secretaria de Promoção da Igualdade Racial (Sepromi or Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality) put on, as part of the Julho das Pretas (July of the Black Women) mobilizations, the seminar “Mulher Negra e Empreendedorismo” (Black Women and Entrepreneurship). The activity was scheduled to start at 2pm, in the Conselho de Desenvolvimento da Comunidade Negra (CDCN or Development Council of the Black Community) in the historic Pelourinho district. Besides discussing prospects and challenges in the area, the black entrepreneurs of the Historical Salvador Downtown and the region will have the opportunity to exchange experiences.
The state government has already formalized a partnership with the Serviço de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (Sebrae – Service to Support Micro and Small Enterprises) to promote entrepreneurship of blacks and women. An edict was also launched to support the historic Revolta dos Búzios uprising (1) projects, with entrepreneurship among its categories. The actions are part of efforts to implement the Política Estadual de Fomento ao Empreendedorismo de Negros e Mulheres (State Policy on Fostering Entrepreneurship of Blacks and Women), established by Law 13.208/14.
Other initiatives are being articulated, in this sense, such as financing options and notices that consider this area. Civil society institutions that work with the segments are also involved. Coordinated by Sepromi, the management committee of the Policy is also composed of representatives of state departments of Policies for Women (SPM), Planning (SEPLAN), Finance (Sefaz) and Economic Development (SDE). Also part of the group are the departments of Labor, Employment, Income and Sport (Setre), the courts, Human Rights and Social Development (SJDHDS) and Agriculture, Irrigation, Agrarian Reform, Fisheries and Aquaculture (Seagri).
Julhos das Pretas (July of the Black Women)
Last week, on the 23rd, empowered, with their turbans, black women public servants of the state increased went up the official ramp of the Bahia Legislative Assembly (Alba), to the sound of the girl band Didá. It was a symbolic act of occupation of positions of power by the segment. The rite preceded the seminar ‘Promoção da Equidade de Gênero e Raça na Bahia’ (Promotion of Gender and Racial Equality in Bahia), organized as part of the mobilization of the ‘Julho das Pretas’ (July of the Black Women). “The civil society organizations have carried out many activities to give visibility to July 25th [Day of the Latin American and Caribbean Black Woman]. The institutional spaces are what they need to absorb this wealth constructed by black and women’s movements, what we do here today,” said the titular of the Secretariat of the Promotion of Racial Equality (Sepromi), Vera Lúcia Barbosa.
The manager also pointed out the union of the various government bodies for realization of the Estatuto da Igualdade Racial e de Combate à Intolerância Religiosa do Estado (Statute of Racial Equality and Against Religious Intolerance of the State), which completed one year in June. “Our challenge now is to regulate Chapter VII, which deals with the rights of black women. This important document is the result of a collective construction of the black community and the government,” she said.
Note
1. The Revolt of Búzios was one of the most important movements in Brazil because, apart from independence, it sought freedom of slaves and racial and social equality. It was the first libertarian manifestation where people had a role, reflecting significantly, achievements after its outbreak in 1798.
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