More than half of Brazilians identify as Black or mixed-race. Affirmative action changed the face of universities and the civil service; in 2018 Bolsonaro called for reducing it, and in 2020 his vice president said “in Brazil, racism does not exist”.
Far right
It made the news
Not opinion: the press recorded it. Stories showing what the far right did or tried to do on this issue.
- Presidente da Fundação Palmares nega existência do racismo estruturalSérgio Camargo, Bolsonaro's appointee to the Palmares Foundation, denied structural racism.Read the story
- 'No Brasil, não existe racismo', diz MourãoVice President Mourão denied racism exists in Brazil after João Alberto's killing at Carrefour.Read the story
- 'Por que cotas?' Brasil não tem dívida histórica com escravidão, diz BolsonaroOn Roda Viva, Bolsonaro questioned racial quotas and denied any historical debt for slavery.Read the story
Sources
Where the data on this page comes from.
- Planalto
Signing of the new affirmative action law in November 2023.
- Exame
On Roda Viva in 2018, Bolsonaro said he could propose cutting racial quotas.
- CNN Brasil
In 2020, Vice President Mourão said “in Brazil, racism does not exist”.