Lula Condemns Economic
Racial Discrimination in
Brazil
Brazilian President Luis
Inacio Lula da Silva on
Tuesday condemned
economic discrimination
against black citizens
in the country, calling
it "a hypocritical
attitude."
The president, better
known by his nickname
Lula, made a public
statement at a ceremony
marking National Black
Consciousness Day at the
Planalto Palace,
Brazil's seat of
government.
Lula attacked what he
called "a hypocritical
attitude on the part of
Brazil's richest, which
oppose any measure that
tends to improve the
life of black citizens."
"Those who are all talk
and no action all call
themselves democrats and
egalitarians, but when
the time comes for
distributing bread, some
need to have more than
others. They do not want
to share," Lula said.
Brazil's racial
segregation is a
phenomenon that is hard
to overcome with laws
and political decisions,
he said, calling for the
country's black leaders
to reach consensus on
the Social Equality
Statute, a bill that is
currently making its way
through the legislature.
"Mature politically and
build a consensus
proposal that can go
forward," Lula said.
Lula's speech also
marked the official
launch of the Quilombola
Social Agenda, a package
of initiatives to give
land, property rights,
education, work and
training to Quilombola,
descendants of runaway
slave communities.
Brazil's Black
Consciousness Day pays
homage to Zumbi, who
died on Nov. 20, 1695.
He was the leader of the
Quilombo dos Palmares, a
town of 30,000people
founded in 1597 by
escaped slaves on the
border between the
states of Alagoas and
Pernambuco.
Brazil abolished slavery
in 1888, the last nation
in the America to do so.
Black Brazilians in Sao
Paulo, the country's
richest state, earn 44
percent less than their
white or Asian
counterparts, the State
Data Analysis System (Seade)
said in a report
published on Tuesday to
mark the occasion.
The same report said
black unemployment runs
at 18.1 percent,
compared with 13.2
percent for non-blacks.
The average wage for
black workers is 752
reais (about 429 U.S.
dollars) a month
compared with 1,346
reais (about 769
dollars) for non-blacks.
"This difference
reflects our legacy of
discrimination and lack
of opportunity for the
poor, most of whom are
black," Alexandre
Loloian, Seade's manager
of data analysis said.
The study showed not
just that blacks were
paid less overall, but
that employers paid
black employees less for
the same work.
According to the study,
black Brazilians in
management or planning
roles are rarely paid
more than 10 reais (5.7
dollars) per hour, while
their non-black
colleagues typically
make 17.8 reais (10
dollars) per hour. The
differences are less
extreme in subordinate
posts, but remain in
place.
Only 4.6 percent of the
state's black population
are in management or
planning posts, while
18.3 percent of the
remaining population
have such roles. Blacks
in Sao Paulo are
majority in domestic
employment, where they
represent 54.9 percent
of employees.
|
|
