I've been in Brazil since Februrary 2023. Most of the time when I visit places in this country, I am often the only Black person in attendance. This is no accident or coincidence. When looking at the history of race in Brazil, there is an overall theme of anti-Blackness that has prevailed into the 21st century. While there are certainly plenty of social justice movements and groups working tirelessly to promote Black history and pride, there are still large mountains to overcome when dealing with everyday acts of racism that are so ingrained into society.
To understand Brazilians' perceptions and conceptions of race today, we first need to go back to the 19th century. During this era, ideas of Social Darwinism were growing in popularity. Under this concept, white Anglo-Saxons were viewed as dominant and superior on the social hierarchy, while those with darker skin were considered inferior and at the bottom of the social ladder. In fact, Brazil was one of the American colonies that received the highest number of enslaved Africans--close to five million people over three centuries! In comparison, the United States received around 400,000 people from the 17th century to the early 19th century.
