blackandbrownlove:Black Women of BrazilFreeing one’s mind from the adoration of whiteness: After num
blackandbrownlove:Black Women of BrazilFreeing one’s mind from the adoration of whiteness: After numerous relationships of sexual exploitation at the hands of white men, woman learns the liberating power of black love. A very personal reflection here: http://blackwomenofbrazil.co/2015/06/08/freeing-ones-mind-from-the-adoration-of-whiteness-after-numerous-relationships-of-sexual-exploitation-at-the-hands-of-white-men-woman-learns-the-value-and-power-of-black-love/ Note from BW of Brazil: The space of relationships is yet another area where we find the challenges that face the Afro-Brazilian community. It is a topic that has been covered in a number of posts here on the blog. From consistent accusations that black Brazilian men overwhelmingly prefer white women for relationships, to widespreadexperiences of black woman experiencing low-term solitude and as a result being the majority of single women in Brazil, the fragile existent situation between black men and women is in many ways symbolic of the state of the community as a whole. In a very personal piece below, Ana Cláudia Silva shares her journey through an admitted adoration of white men to a realization of what being a black woman really means in a racist society, how relations being the races haven’t changed much since the days of slavery and finally a meaningful connection with a man of her own race that helped her to discover a blackness that it seems, in some ways, she was trying to escape. Along the way she touches upon aspects of racism, police treatment of black Brazilians, and an apparent low self-esteem that is symptomatic of living in a society in which everything of value is associated with whiteness. In a Brazil in which non-white people are taught to overvalue this whiteness from the cradle, one must ask how many people are affected by these feelings expressed by Silva. And how many don’t even perceive it? How many will never free themselves from the mental conditioning of white supremacy? We may never know, but from the numerous realizations, observations and opinions we’ve seen over the years, it wouldn’t be surprising to know how widespread it really is. -- source link