Equality is black: memories and preservation of stories of black political activism in São Paulo (1978-2020)

Abstract

This project analyzes social, political and historical dimensions of black associations and anti-racist struggles in São Paulo between the late 1970s and 2020 through the cataloging, digitization and in-depth analysis of the documentation produced by important organizations of the black movement in São Paulo, such as: MNU (Unified Black Movement), Quilombhoje, Geledés Instituto da Mulher Negra, Soweto, CEERT, among others, in addition to documentary sources of black subjects who participated at some point in this associative history related to anti-racist struggle, like the photographer from Rio de Janeiro Januário Garcia. They actively contributed to the end of the civil-military dictatorship (1964-1985), participate in the democratization of Brazilian society and the Constituent process that culimnated in the 1988 constitution. They acted critically towards the Centenary of Abolition as well as in political movements of black women, questioning the forms of political participation in different spheres of the State and of non-governmental organizations. In short, they were successful in shaping public policies aimed at expanding citizenship and equal rights between the 1980s and 2000s. Together, these four decades represent a considerable period in the history of anti-racist activism and its forms of political organization. Despite such relevance, we do not find an extensive body of scholarly literature related to the topic; neither can we find institutional initiatives devoted to the preservation and dissemination of the documentary collection produced by the historical action of the leaders of the movements here focused in this project. (AU)