Quilombo Race and Class

encontro_negros_site Quilombo Raça e Classe is an organization of Black workers, both men and women, which works with a clear working class perspective. Denouncing what they call the “myth of racial democracy” that we have in Brazil and worldwide, their main demand is reparation for slavery and racism.

As a national organization they held activities with allied organizations in 14 cities for “Black November”, the month around the national day of Black Hero Zumbi dos Palmares. In order to understand their working class perspective, it is interesting to see their approach towards Obama administration.

Differently from other Black organizations that understood the election of Obama as a positive step and hardly ever put out any kind of criticism against him, Quilombo Raça e Classe opposed his administration on class basis, and a poem from the XXth century most important Brazilian Black poet Solano Trindade was recited all the time the issue of Obama administration was brought about, showing their clear working class orientation for the struggle against racism (see below in both Portuguese and English).
Negros

(Solano Trindade)

Negros que escravizam

E vendem negros na África

Não são meus irmãos

Negros senhores na América

A serviço do capital

Não são meus irmãos

Negros opressores

Em qualquer parte do mundo

Não são meus irmãos

Só os negros oprimidos

Escravizados