Note from BW of Brazil: The objective of this blog has always been to reveal the black experience in Brazil with a special focus on black women. And in revealing this experience, we frequently discuss the topics of racism, racial identity and racial inequality as being black in a decidedly anti-black world is not simply about having black skin and African characteristics. Having these features and the experiences that one has specifically due to having such characteristics is one of the mechanisms that helps us define the black experience.

In a place like Brazil, it is often assumed that one can only find the black experience in favela slums and low-income areas as this is where stereotypes associated with race would have us believe black Brazilians live. And while it is true that Afro-Brazilians are more likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts, there is a…