Note from BW of Brazil: OK so let’s get right to it. We already know that there are sure to be people who will take one look at Glória Maria‘s statement and immediately deny its validity, accuse her of ‘vitimismo’ (playing the victim) or actually point to her near five decades as a successful journalist as ‘proof’ that she’s exaggerating. But let’s get real. We’ve shown time after time that individual success of black Brazilians has not changed the racial hierarchy. In fact, what we’ve seen is that the higher the social ladder Afro-Brazilians climb, the MORE they are likely to experience discriminatory behavior. And in terms of her statement, do you not remember when we showed you that how Brazil’s mostly white middle to upper classes expressed their disapproval at seeing so many Afro-Brazilians in places that were traditionally only frequented by whites? Remember the group of black Brazilians who were harassed in a restaurant in the city of Belo Horizonte? The groups of young black students who presence caused discomfort on a flight in the nation’s capital? The irritation of seeing their maid’s daughter frequenting the same university as their children? The displeasure of seeing blacks living in their apartment buildings? No, there is no exaggeration in Maria’s statement. She simply stated a reality about Brazil’s racial hierarchy.
On TV Mulher, Glória Maria vents about racial prejudice: “People are not used to seeing blacks in chic restaurants and cool places”
The journalist, who is dedicated to cultural reports Globo TV’s Globo Repórter program, said she feels the need to prove her professional competence at all times. “I need to prove I’m a talented journalist, because otherwise you are suffocated in a manner that you can’t imagine”
By Leonardo Rocha
Glória Maria was one of Marília Gabriela’s guests to talk about racial prejudice on the TV Mulher program that airs every Tuesday on the Viva channel. During the conversation, the journalist, who is dedicated to multicultural reports around the world on Globo Repórter, revealed that Brazil is the place where she feels uncomfortable when the subject is racism.
“It’s sometimes a look, because people are not used to seeing blacks in general in places that are usually allocated to whites, chic restaurants, cool places and such. But here in Brazil it exists at any level,” she opined that despite 45 years at Rede Globo, she feels the need to prove her professional competence at all times. “I need to prove I’m a talented journalist, because otherwise you are suffocated in a manner that you can’t imagine,” she noted.
As one of the first black reporters on Brazilian television, Glória guaranteed that she has suffered all kinds of discrimination, but, despite feeling uncomfortable, she said she gave up fighting against prejudice. “Yes, it’s something that doesn’t end, it only has several faces. Today, the thing is much more subtle. It is more elaborate, because I am also a more elaborate person. So, prejudice is much more serious, because it reaches points that before it hadn’t reached. When you are young and suffer this, you suffer from an open heart and think you’ll overcome. When you reach the age that I am, in the moment that I’m living, you are absolutely sure that it’s something that you can’t overcome and not get used to. I spent my life trying a defense, and later I realized it was useless,” said Glória.
Source: Heloisa Tolipan
Leave a Reply