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<h1 id="reader-title">The racist roots of the coup d’état
against President Dilma Rousseff</h1>
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May 16, 2016<br>
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<p><strong>Note from BW of Brazil</strong>: <em>Unless
you’ve been living under a rock for the past week,
or just don’t really tuned into news coming out of
Brazil, you know that President Dilma Rousseff was
removed suspended from the Presidency for a period
of 180 days and replaced by her Vice-President
Michel Temer. This writer’s official position on
major political parties and politicians is that they
are ALL dirty and have skeletons in their closet.
These are just the facts of how politics work. Do
your own research and you’ll surely come to the same
conclusion. As such, the object of this post is not
the defense of Dilma or her Workers’ Party that has
ruled Brazil since 2003. Within the struggle for
rights of</em><em> </em>afrodescendentes<em> </em><em>(people
of African descent) in Brazil, there are numerous
problems with justifying<a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2016/03/24/where-were-black-brazilians-during-the-protests-calling-for-the-presidents-removal-they-came-out-in-force-in-a-separate-rally-in-her-support/">
Afro-Brazilian full support of Dilma</a> or the PT
(see <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2016/04/27/what-do-blacks-have-to-do-with-the-impeachment-process-against-president-dilma-rousseff/">here</a> and <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2016/04/21/as-an-impeachment-process-clouds-the-future-of-brazils-president-how-should-blacks-position-themselves-on-the-political-crisis/">here</a>).
The fact is, <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/06/04/brazils-workers-party-has-been-in-power-since-2002-with-strong-support-from-afro-brazilians-but-does-the-party-simply-exploit-the-black-vote-to-remain-in-power/">the
PT has been called out by a number of black voices
who see the party as exploiting the huge
Afro-Brazilian demographic to continue its reign
without promising anything in return for the
community’s support</a>. No, today’s post is in no
way an endorsement of Dilma or the PT’s policies but
rather a recognition that something more is at play
here. </em></p>
<p><strong>The coup d’état against Dilma is racist</strong></p>
<p>By Dennis Oliveira</p>
<p>Why is the coup d’état being mounted by the
opposition, with (President of the Chamber of
Deputies/Speaker of the Lower House) Eduardo Cunha (1)
at the front, racist? Many will say, after all, Dilma
is not black. And others, that the policies to combat
racism developed in her government and that of (former
President) Lula (da Silva) are timid and insufficient.</p>
<p>I completely agree. Dilma is not black and,
therefore, it’s not due to her person that they want
to remove her. And this Quilombo column has heavily
criticized the anti-racism policies developed in
government for their timidity and lack of resources.</p>
<p>But whoever wants to remove the Dilma government
doesn’t do so because of this. It is precisely because
<a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2016/03/16/protest-against-president-again-features-nearly-all-white-upper-middle-class-displays-of-racism-desire-to-protect-status-and-putting-have-nots-back-in-their-place/">they
don’t even accept the few racial and social
inclusion policies made in recent years</a>.</p>
<p>The argument of the impeachment request is “fiscal
pedaling.” Note that the argument focuses on alleged
misuse of budget funds to account for social programs.
The government supposedly used, wrongly according to
the TCU (Tribunal de Contas da União or Federal Court
of Accounts), between 2012 and 2014, R$ 40 billion
financed by public banks for the payment of social and
welfare benefits, such as Bolsa Família unemployment
insurance and subsidies to agricultural production.</p>
<p>A question that doesn’t offend: if these “undue”
resources had been used to save bankrupt banks, would
this controversy be going on? I doubt it.</p>
<p>For the <em>golpistas</em> (supporters of the coup),
the fact that 73% of the <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2014/10/24/heading-to-the-polls-on-sunday-millions-of-afro-brazilians-will-remember-that-they-have-been-the-greatest-beneficiaries-of-government-social-programs/">Bolsa
Família beneficiaries</a> are black and that 68% of
beneficiary families are headed by black women bothers
them.</p>
<p>And that 80% of beneficiaries of the program “Água
para Todos” (Water for All) (construction of cisterns)
are black. In the Luz para Todos (Lights for All)
Program, the percentage of blacks among the
beneficiaries is also 80%.</p>
<p>In Pronatec (Programa Nacional de Acesso ao Ensino
Técnico e Emprego or National Program of Access to
Technical Training and Employment), 68% of the
registrations recorded in 2014 were <em>jovens negros</em>
(black youth). The <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2014/10/24/heading-to-the-polls-on-sunday-millions-of-afro-brazilians-will-remember-that-they-have-been-the-greatest-beneficiaries-of-government-social-programs/">“Minha
Casa, Minha Vida” (My House, My Life) program has
among its beneficiaries, 70% <em>famílias negras</em></a>
(black families).</p>
<p>Not to mention the racial quota programs and <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=prouni">ProUni</a>
(Programa Universidade Para Todos or University for
All Program) which also allowed a record access of
young blacks to higher education.</p>
<p>Small advances? No doubt. Problems persist, mainly
because in the government an effective anti-racism
program, institutional strengthening of the agencies
responsible for that – there was a setback with the
ending of the <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2014/12/31/nilma-lino-gomes-the-first-black-woman-to-be-dean-of-a-federal-university-assumes-role-of-minister-of-racial-equality-polices-of-federal-government/">Seppir
ministry</a> – the establishment of goal setting
plans and constant evaluations, the actual combat,
beyond rhetoric, to the <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=genocide+%22black+youth%22">genocide
of black youth</a> (the Juventude Viva – Youth Alive
program just came out with of a letter of intent),
among others still have yet to crystallize.</p>
<p>But the coup against Dilma is racist because it is
supported precisely by people who feel uncomfortable
with these small advances. They are <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2016/04/20/the-resentment-of-studying-in-the-same-classroom-as-the-black-maids-daughter/">those
who are uncomfortable with black people frequenting
university campuses and sharing space with the
children of the elite</a>. Or that <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2012/09/21/80-of-brazils-new-middle-class-is-black-and-upper-and-upper-middle-class-consumers-are-none-too-pleased-about-it/">they
find in lines at airports those black women who
should be their servants</a>. Or those who shout
against “consumerism” mainly due to <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=rolezinho+mall">seeing
the mall with many more black faces than they would
like</a>.</p>
<p>These same <em>golpistas</em> advocate <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/06/24/reduction-of-age-of-criminal-responsibility-will-legitimize-genocide-of-black-youth-reports-show-that-it-doesnt-solve-the-problem/">the
reduction of the legal age of criminal
responsibility</a>. They maintain that the woman who
aborts is criminal and must be arrested. That <a
href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=UPPs+favela+occupation"><em>favelas</em>
(slums) should be besieged by police</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://blackwomenofbrazil.co/?s=racism">Racism</a>
is not only the explicit behavior of disliking blacks,
racism is also a political attitude that forbids the
social inclusion of black men and women. Therefore,
these <em>golpistas</em> are racist. And the coup
against Dilma is racist.</p>
<p><strong>Source</strong>: <a
href="http://www.revistaforum.com.br/quilombo/2015/12/03/o-golpe-contra-dilma-e-racista/">Revista
Fórum</a></p>
<p><span><strong>Note</strong></span></p>
<ol>
<li>Cunha has been indicted in the scandal known as
Lava Jato (Operation Car) Wash involving the
state-owned oil company Petrobras. Cunha was
suspended as speaker of the lower house by Brazil’s
Supreme Court on 5 May 2016 due to allegations that
he attempted to intimidate members of Congress, and
obstructed investigations into his alleged receipt
of bribes. <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Cunha">Source</a></li>
</ol>
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