Note from BW of Brazil: It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case, today, even if we don’t write anything, images from yesterday’s historic 1st Marcha Nacional das Mulheres Negras (National March of Black Women) are worth six thousand words! Actually, if you head over to our Tumblr page, you’ll see another “12,000 words”!!
Powerful images show the strength and greatness of the 1st March of Black Women in Brazil (PHOTOS)
Courtesy of Brazil Post; all photos by Marcello Casal Jr of Agência Brasil
“Our struggle is every day against sexism, racism and homophobia.” This is one of cries sung to the sound of drums by black women throughout the country who gathered on Wednesday (18), in Brasília, in the 1st National March of Negro Women.
The protesters left the downtown area toward the Praça dos Três Poderes at 9am. In the morning, the organization estimated that ten thousand people were present at the march. The Military Police of the Federal District said it was about four thousand people.
Early in the afternoon of Wednesday (18), the organization informed the HuffPost Brazil than 20 thousand people were present and the Military Police estimated ten thousand demonstrators. “Our march is for well-being, for recognition, for participation of black women. Against sexism and racism,” said Marcelle Esteves, one of the organizers of the event.
This is the first time that the national march has happened. The goal was to gather as many black women as well as other entities of the movement and mobilize these people to defend the full citizenship of black Brazilian women, to fight against racism and violence, and honor their ancestors. The idea was to take advantage of November 20th, Friday, in which the National Day of Black Consciousness is celebrated.
The latest census data (2010) indicate that black women are 25.5% of the population (48.6 million people) and they are the main victims of violent crimes. From 2003 to 2013, the murder of black women increased by 54.2%, according to the Map of Violence 2015: Homicide of Women in Brazil report. In one year, 66.7% more black women died as a result of murder than white in Brazil.
Source: Brasil Post
Creating history!
This is beautiful!