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LATIN AMERICA |
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Brazil Celebrates Day of Black Consciousness
BRASILIA - Over 12 states in Brazil
celebrated on Friday the Day of Black
Consciousness in honor of the country's
17th-century anti-slavery leader Zumbi dos
Palmares.
In cities such as Sao Paulo and Rio de
Janeiro, people held parades against racism,
discrimination, prejudice, homophobia,
sexism and religious intolerance.
Many economic and financial activities
around the country were suspended on the
day, including the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange,
which is set to reopen on Monday.
The Day of Black Consciousness was first
celebrated in 1978 to commemorate Zumbi dos
Palmares, a black Brazilian who led a group
of runaway slaves in Brazil, known as the
Quilombo dos Palmares, to fight the then
Portuguese colonizers in the 17th century
and was killed in an ambush on Nov. 20,
1695.
The social gap between black and white
citizens has been narrowed drastically since
Brazil abolished slavery in 1888 due to
governmental efforts.
However, black Brazilians still account for
about 35 percent of the country's population
living below the poverty line.
Meanwhile, problems such as black Brazilian
citizens' lower wages, longer working hours,
and worse employment situation in comparison
with their white counterparts highlight the
urgency to build a more socially and
economically equal country.
According to a census conducted in 2000, the
black and mulattos make up about half of the
total population of 170 million in the Latin
American country.
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