Note from BW of Brazil: Beyond calls for more representation in the media, an end to the genocide of black youth and the daily struggle against racism, black Brazilians have also been pushing the concept of what has come to be known as Afro-entrepreneurship: businesses of Afro-Brazilians catering specifically to an Afro-Brazilian public. In recent years we’ve seen all sorts of endeavors that seek to expand the influence of Afro-Brazilians in areas such as fashion and entertainment and now a growing number of black people are seeking a slice of the Brazilian economic pie and take advantage of a public that is demanding a representation that is more on par with their numbers in the population. The women in today’s piece, many of whom have been featured in previous articles, are leading the charge! Learn more about them below…
Get to know the business of these 7 black Brazilian businesswomen
The business world also includes mulheres negras (black women). We need not mention in this text all the challenges they face because of racism, making them the exception in an universo branco (white universe), but their careers go beyond the race struggle.
The ventures of these 7 entrepreneurs are examples of resistance and empowerment, but also of quality and insight in the business world.
Among their market areas are fashion, cosmetics, culture and electronics, another example of the diversity and flexibility of the povo negro (black people) in search of more opportunities and quality of life.
You can check out more black professionals as well as entrepreneurs on sites like Afrobras, groups like Afrotrampos and Rede de Profissionais Negros (Black Professionals Network) on Facebook and the Kilombu application.
Here are a few black Brazilian women entrepreneurs you should know:
7 black Brazilian women entrepreneurs that you should know
They range in areas from cosmetics to electronics
Courtesy of Catraca Livre
Monique Evelle – Kumasi
She is one of the founders of the Kumasi e-commerce, which sells products of black entrepreneurs from Salvador, Bahia. They have support to increase sales and clients ensure this work continues.
“All we do is think about the transformation. At Kumasi or in other activities, the idea is for everyone to grow together,” she told BBC News.
Carolina Lima – Prapreta
“Why do I have to go to a site where everyone has straight hair to buy my beauty products?”. The question motivated Carolina to open Prapreta (meaning ‘for black women), according to the PEGN website.
The online store has emerged to offer black women a chance to find cosmetics that have quality but also meet their well-being and beauty.
Cynthia Mariah – Ateliê Cynthia Mariah
The Cynthia Mariah brand brings clothes and accessories made in an artisan way that brings exclusivity and consciousness-raising.
“We are a brand that directs its products to bold women, with colorful personality, women who are strong and warriors by nature,” says Cynthia.
Buh D’Angelo – InfoPreta
The technology service InfoPreta works in the maintenance of computers, development of websites, services related to technology and also courses, lectures and workshops about the area for women.
She told El Pais Brasil the inspiration for InfoPreta. “The black woman, whether she is a genius or a transsexual, is never really part of society. My goal, then, is to make it possible for this woman, who lives in vulnerability, to study and graduate.”
Ketty Valêncio – Livraria Africanidades
Livraria Africanidades aims to dialogue with the Afro-Brazilian and feminine matrices, seeking to show the protagonism of the black woman in literature.
“I felt anguish because of being a black woman. In school, we don’t learn black literature from men or women. We also don’t in college. And literature tells still more about the reality that we don’t learn, and we place the girl as the protagonist of our own history, being a creator,” Maria said to the site Voa.
Dara Ribeiro – Eparrei
Eparrei’s proposal is to show that “all women, that they can and should use whatever they want, as long as they feel beautiful.”
“My fashion is political, they are shirts that give visibility to the black woman, but also has a quota for white,” she told the Meu Negócio Brilhante website.
Luciane Reis – Merc’Afro
She is CEO of Merc’Afro, an agency to stimulate ethnic and local businesses that don’t have the resources to develop.
She defined herself on the Voa Maria website as “a woman who is not afraid to risk, without fear of the new”. “I believe a lot in what I want and am doing for my life … I see myself as a person who is making a difference in the country on the ethnic debate,” she said.
Source: Catraca Livre
I hope this does not sound superficial as it is not supposed to but the thing I enjoy most about your blog is the presentation of diversity shown in the Black women of Brazil showcased. Being a victim of racism white supremacy living in the US of Carib descent, the image of the typical Brazilian female represented in mainstream media looks nothing like the array featured here. These women look of African, American, and other Caribbean descent. Thank you for illustrating the myriad beauty of this region.