Environmental racism exists, says minister Anielle Franco – 03/04/2024 – Environment

“Environmental racism is black people going anywhere and, unfortunately, staying on the margins. They are the ones who suffer when situations like this happen.” This is how the Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, remembers the several floods that occurred at the beginning of the year in Rio de Janeiro.

At the time, political groups criticized her on social media and claimed that the term “environmental racism” had been invented.

“I didn’t create this concept. It’s a concept that comes from the USA, it’s been around for decades”, he explains. “Environmental racism exists and there are a huge number of black people who go through it every day.”

She says, for example, that people in upscale neighborhoods in the capital of Rio de Janeiro do not suffer the consequences of heavy rain in the same way as those in Baixada Fluminense.

Anielle also associates the expression with problems faced by quilombolas. For her, while they are affected by environmental racism, they are also fundamental against climate change. “Not only quilombolas, but also indigenous peoples, are agents of environmental conservation”, she highlights.

In this interview with Sheetthe minister comments, among other challenges, on the difficulties in increasing the number of titled quilombos and the measures to improve the protection of community leaders.

Weeks ago, when floods occurred in Rio de Janeiro, you spoke about environmental racism and were criticized by some sectors. Can this situation be understood as environmental racism? What is your assessment of the criticism?

It is still difficult for them to look at us, black people, and recognize that we are humanized, studied people. People who need, deserve and are able to be anywhere. There’s nothing we can talk about in this place that people don’t try to make political use of to demean it.

Just like it was [quando falei] about linguistic racism, which is something I have studied for a long time. I am a PhD student in applied linguistics.

This concept [de racismo ambiental] I didn’t create it. It’s a concept that comes from the USA and has been around for decades.

Just look at what happens when there is torrential rain in Rio de Janeiro. Copacabana hardly wakes up the next day flooded. Noble areas that historically have systems already built do not suffer from this.

Where are black people historically? Environmental racism is the lack of structure for people to be able to survive. The heat you feel in Copacabana is not the heat you feel in Belford Roxo, in Baixada Fluminense.

Environmental racism is black people going everywhere and, unfortunately, being on the margins. They are the ones who suffer when situations like this happen. [das chuvas].

Not only quilombolas, but also indigenous peoples, are agents of environmental conservation. We are part of this, and environmental racism is included. The minister [do Meio Ambiente] Marina Silva, who is unanimous on the topic, spoke and reiterated. This was also our biggest debate at COP [28, conferência da ONU sobre mudanças climáticas, em Dubai, no fim de 2023].

The federal government titled 11 communities in 2023, itQuilombola leaders say they hope the process will accelerate from now. What can be done to hold more?

We have the number 16 [titulações] adding up everything that was done both nationally and in state governments. We had an above-average advance in something that was not done even under Lula 1 and 2, Dilma, and after the coup.

It’s a delicate process. Holder is the last step. In transition [de governo]when we sat down with Conaq [Coordenação Nacional de Articulação de Quilombos]their first request was: set the objective for the entire process to move forward.

It has eight steps, and titling is the ninth. I think the title is beautiful, but these are processes that have been at a standstill for decades. Firstly, we have to make all stages of the process, as a whole, move forward.

There are cases of titling that took almost 20 years and a large part of this process, thinking at the federal level, is done by Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform). How is the dialogue with the agency?

There is no way to talk about Incra without talking about Paulo Teixeira, who is at MDA [Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário, pasta a que o instituto está ligado].

We have been working together, understanding that [o governo] spent six years without that look [para os quilombolas]. Obviously we always want to do more, but I also understand and respect each body with its responsibility.

What is the biggest difficulty presented by Incra?

It is not easy to implement public policy for racial equality. It’s not that simple, we are 56% of the population. They [Incra] have their challenges.

How did you find the situation at the ministry, in relation to policies for quilombolas?

When we called Ronaldo Santos, who is now the secretary for quilombola policies, to talk, he said: “We have R$150,000 left over from the last administration and that’s not enough to cover even two meters.”

In general, not just for quilombos, we received R$4 million from the last administration. Quilombos were titled because the last government needed it, to follow court orders, not because they wanted to.

The quilombolas left the negotiations to reconcile the communities’ interests with those of the Alcântara Space Base, in Maranhão, and have complained about the government’s stance. What is the situation like and what measures will you take?

We were also taken by surprise. Since January, we have been actively listening. We are going to the territories, and it was no different in Alcântara. This is not a current conflict, it has been going on for 40 years.

The community agreed to talk to us. We sat down, talked and made several proposals. Our main intention is that things are done together, respecting people’s territory and freedom.

We still hope that they will return [para o grupo de negociações]. I’ve been on the other side, I know what it’s like to be fighting for something.

Is there a possibility of making a new proposal?

Of course, I think dialogue is the best way out. The main thread is for us to make them understand that we need to do this project more and more together, that we are an ally and are not there to compete, we are there to help. I’m going to sit down, I’m going to listen and who knows, maybe we’ll be able to have a different closure.

Many quilombolas complain of a lack of support in relation to threats of violence and death. Last August, the quilombola leader Bernadete Pacifico, Mother Bernadete, was murdered in Bahia. How has the ministry provided support in these cases?

We had a meeting last year, me, Sílvio [Almeida, ministro dos Direitos Humanos], Paulo Teixeira, Incra and the teams from the three ministries. We talk precisely about the protection program. I myself have been part of the program since they killed my sister [a ex-vereadora do Rio Marielle Franco]. We are very attentive to this.

It is an inter-ministerial articulation, it needs to involve the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice. When we held this meeting, Sílvio was in the process of reformulating the program, it looks like it will be until the end of March.

About Mother Bernardete, the first thing is to regret and feel sorry for the family, because only those who go through this know how painful it is.

In an interview with Folha in December, sociologist Henrique Restier stated that black men have been neglected in his management. How do you see this type of criticism?

With great respect, I found it to be a very shallow interview. It’s something I regretted. I made myself available to talk and exchange. I am the result of a feminism of black women that fights for black people.

I have never, at the head of this ministry, only had policies with women in mind. We do and think about everyone. The Viventude Negra Viva plan is designed together with more than 16 ministries and talks about the survival of our young black people, especially our black men.

When I call Nísia [Trindade, ministra da Saúde] to talk about mental health is because the number of suicides among young black men has grown unchecked.

It may even be that some choices prioritize women in the face of data. But if you tell me that the Ministry of Racial Equality only thinks about women, I will say that it is a frivolous, unfounded statement.

Will you be a candidate for vice-mayor of Rio de Janeiro in this year’s elections?

I’m a minister. I love doing what I’m doing, I love my work. I respect President Lula a lot. I want to talk literally about the present. I think the future is something that only God knows what’s in store, but for now, I’m a minister.

---

X-ray

Anielle Franco, 39

Minister of Racial Equality, she has a degree in journalism and English from the University of North Carolina and in English/literature from Uerj (State University of Rio de Janeiro). She has a master’s degree in journalism and English from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in ethnic-racial relations from Cefet / RJ. She is a professor and doctoral candidate in applied linguistics at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro).