UN proclaims the International Decade for People of African Descent

Law 12,519 created the National Day of Black Consciousness, observed on 20 November in memory of Zumbi dos Palmares. The date grew from Black movement organizing and historical work that centered...

In ADPF 186, the Supreme Federal Court unanimously upheld the University of Brasília’s racial quota policy. The ruling recognized affirmative action as a constitutional response to structural...

Law 12,711, sanctioned on 29 August 2012, required federal universities and institutes to reserve at least half of admissions places for students from public secondary schools, with subquotas based on...

Constitutional Amendment 72 expanded domestic workers’ constitutional labor rights, addressing a long-standing gap between domestic service and other forms of employment. The change followed...

The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent concluded a country visit to Brazil after meetings with public authorities and civil society. The mission examined discrimination, social...

Law 13,005 approved a ten-year National Education Plan. Its targets include teacher training and educational resources for rural, Indigenous and quilombola schools. This gave legal weight to education...

UNESCO inscribed the Capoeira Circle on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The listing described a practice combining fight, dance, music, and ritual, shaped...

IPHAN’s advisory council approved registration of Maracatu Nação as Brazilian cultural heritage. The Afro-Pernambucan tradition includes processions, percussion, dance, and crowned figures linked to...

IPHAN registered Maracatu de Baque Solto, also known as rural maracatu, as Brazilian cultural heritage. Rooted in Pernambuco’s Zona da Mata and linked to Afro-descendant rural workers, the form brings...

The UN-declared decade began with a program centered on recognition, justice, and development. For Brazil, it provided an international frame for campaigns on racial inequality, Afro-Brazilian memory,...