Slavery lasted about 300 years in Brazil. Between 1550 and 1888, millions of black people were trafficked and lived as slaves in the country. Even after its end 130 years ago, political and socioeconomic inequalities between whites and blacks are still latent, and racial segregation can still be observed in several social strata.
The Abolition of Slavery freed blacks from forced labor, but it did not guarantee any kind of assistance to a class of society that was at an extreme disadvantage in relation to whites.
Prejudice and racial segregation remained firm and strong in the social imagination and, in this way, political and social institutions were formed, forcing blacks to occupy spaces of subservience and denying access to education, housing, decent work and social ascension. Because of this configuration, it is reasonable to say that white Brazilians are in a privileged situation in relation to blacks in Brazil.
What is white privilege?
Privilege is any kind of special right reserved for only one group of people. We call social privileges all the advantages that an individual or a group receives at the expense of other people.
In Brazil, structural racism is present in all institutions, including power and interpersonal relationships, which gives white people privileges that include several benefits, such as the chance to have higher salaries, greater access to education and less chance of being victim of violence. we call this white privilege.
White privilege is a consequence of a long period of slavery and the lack of public policies to reinsert free blacks into society. This is a silent, veiled factor, which is not even recognized by Brazilian society, which, thanks to the myth of racial democracy, falls into the fallacy that racism does not exist, when, in fact, we live under a strict regime of adapted social hierarchy. to modern times, in which the white person holds the privileges and the black people remain in places of subservience and disadvantage.
The 2018 Atlas of Violence shows that black people represent 71.5% of those murdered this year. While the number of murders that victimized blacks rose, those that victimized whites fell. In the job market, 64.2% of the nearly 13 million unemployed are black and brown. In addition, the per capita income of the white population represents more than twice that of the black population (R$ 1097 against R$ 508, according to the report “Human Development Beyond the Averages”).
Being white means being, even without realizing or agreeing, in a place of comfort, different from people of other marginalized ethnic groups (the indigenous population in Brazil, for example, is also in a place of social disadvantage). If we live in a society that opposes, antagonizes and belittles blacks and any aspect of black culture, being white is constantly having the upper hand over other ethnicities. We call this whiteness.
White privilege is present at various moments in the life of a Brazilian. It is very unlikely, for example, that a white person will need to worry about being mistaken for a criminal, or being rejected in a relationship because of their color, features or hair. A white person will always have great examples of people of their color in the media. When entering a college or a new job, a white person does not have to worry about constantly proving that he really deserves to be there on his own merit, and not to fulfill “quotes”.
Talking about white privilege and whiteness only makes sense in a country structured by racism. This means that the fact that a person is white does not necessarily mean that his life will not be difficult, that he will not have financial difficulties, will not be a victim of violence or that he will not suffer from unemployment – but that the color of your skin will have no interference in any aspect of your life. Unlike black people, who from childhood, through affective relationships, friendships, jobs and social circles, need to deal with the negative effects of racism.
How to fight racism while enjoying white privilege?
Racial inequality in Brazil is a harsh reality and, above all, a structural problem that involves all layers and political, social and economic institutions – therefore, it needs to be tackled by everyone. The first step is to recognize that whiteness and white privilege they exist, and that they guarantee white people an advantage over black people.
In addition to recognizing privileges, it is necessary to recognize that racial inequality is not a problem for black people, but for the whole society. Therefore, it is the duty of all citizens to commit themselves not only to be against racism, but to be anti-racist, supporting inclusive policies and historical reparation, which are essential for the creation of a more just and egalitarian reality.
