The racial theme was, alongside the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the major issues of 2020. We entered November, the month marked by the of Black Consciouness in Brazil and, throughout the month, we come across various activities and proposals from associations ans companies on racial representativeness.
The 20th was chosen for making reference to the death of Zumbi dos Palmares, leader of the largest quilombo in Brazil, who actively fought slavery in the country. And although data on the abolition of slavery is celebrated on May 13th, the black movement understands that this date was not the one that actually freed blacks from the bonds of slavery.
And for that reason, that date is a day of articulation and debate and not of celebration. We must, therefore, value the associations that open the door to debates, but we need to go further.
According to IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) data, 64.2% of the unemployed in Brazil are black, a fact that shocks more if we take into account that they represent 55.7% of the total population. The data is more striking with a survey by the Ethos Institute, with the 500 companies with the highest revenue, which shows blacks with an extremely low rate in service charges: 6.3%. No longer executive, they are only 4.7%. However, when we look at the “operational” sectors, blacks appear on a larger scale, 57% of apprentices and trainees.
This brief overview demonstrates that it is necessary to combat structural racism and to repair historically the mistakes of the past. In this way, we need companies to see themselves as active participants in the anti-racist struggle and, as a consequence of this, open the doors for black candidates, offering real opportunities for professional growth.
The + Unidos Group has as a visceral characteristic the meeting of large multinationals operating in Brazil in favor of the country’s social needs. Thus, in this and every month, we invite all companies associated with our network to rethink their policies for the inclusion of black inclusion in their corporations. More than that, we are available to support you throughout the process.
