Black Consciousness Day: History and Significance of Black Awareness Day

Black Awareness Day or Black Consciousness Day (Portuguese: Dia da Consciência Negra) is celebrated every year on November 20 in Brazil. It is a day to praise awareness of the black community for the journey and conditions their ancestors came to Brazil and the wealth of contribution to the nation and society, that has in the past not generally been perceived.

Black Consciousness Day is celebrated on 20 November, however, the whole celebratory month is known as Black November. This is the most important holiday for the black community in Brazil. While Black Consciousness Day is perceived nationally, it is generally celebrated by individuals in Rio de Janeiro, San Paulo, Campinas, Maraba, and Vilhena.

Black Consciousness Day gets attention to the black battle Brazil. Since the time of colonial times, the individuals of Brazil’s black communities have been subjected to serious racism and inequality. This holiday permits individuals from Brazil’s black communities to stand up for their rights, culture, and independence. Black Consciousness Day likewise permits individuals to honor the unique aspects of Afro-Brazilian culture.

While Black Consciousness Day is not a government holiday, it is an official holiday in Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Mato Grosso, Rio de Janeiro e Maranhão States and São Paulo City, and more than 1,000 different cities. The date is an official public holiday in five Brazilian states.

It is a day on which to reflect upon the injustices of slavery and to praise the contributions that have been made to Brazilian culture by residents of ‘African’ descent.

The date of Black Consciousness Day Brazil was picked because of one of the best civil rights activists in Brazil: Zumbi dos Palmares. This is the anniversary of his death. He battled bravely against slavery. The special date to observe Zumbi was set up in 2003, however was just obtained official in 2011.

Something beyond a celebration, it is a day to consider the position that Black individuals have in society then and now. The previous generations who have suffered (and still suffer) through racist acts, despite the cancelation of slavery in 1888, segregation actually proceeds. It’s daily devoted to battle racism and defends Black individuals’ rights and respect in society.

The National Black Awareness Day is just a public holiday in some Brazilian states, for example, Rio de Janeiro, Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Rio Grande do Sul.

History of Black Consciousness Day

At the point when the Portuguese trading organizations initially showed up in Brazil, surveyors saw that the region had rich land that was ideal for the mass production of money crops. To amplify their profitability, the Portuguese opportunists bought huge amounts of African slaves from Sierra Leone and different territories of West Africa. These Africans were dehumanized, and they were dealt with brutally.

In the late 17th century, an African man named Zumbi concluded that he would not permit his Portuguese proprietor to hurt him anymore. Zumbi got away from the plantation where he worked, and he formed the Palmares. The Palmares became a community of self-liberated slaves. This community offered would like to the subjugated individuals of Brazil.

Zumbi’s activities started a spirit of resistance among Afro-Brazilians and the Portuguese military set an abundance on his head. In 1695, Zumbi was sold out by a companion. Portuguese soldiers caught and executed Zumbi on November 20, 1695. This changed Zumbi into a martyr; rather than debilitating the oppressed Africans, Zumbi’s passing motivated them to oppose no matter what.

Black Consciousness Day became an official holiday in 2003 after the approval of law 10.639. The holiday is seen on November 20 to honor the sacrifice of Zumbi for his people. Black Consciousness Day is currently celebrated in 5,561 Brazilian cities. Since over half of Brazilians have African lineages, the holiday is required to grow in the future.

Numerous Afro-Brazilians take to the streets on November 20 to take an interest in the Freedom Walk. These parades are huge cultural events that display the sheer size and significance of the black communities in Brazil. Political topics are common during these parades.

Zumbi managed to escape from the colony and many believed that he was immortal. He was at long last caught on November 20th, 1695. He was promptly decapitated and his head was put on public display to see to persuade local people he was not eternal.

These days “Zumbi” is viewed as a national hero and a symbol of the battle for freedom, however, there are some disagreeing voices who think Zumbi isn’t the correct figurehead during the current day as he is said to have kept slaves himself.

Black Awareness Day has been praised since the 1960s and has enhanced its events in the last few years. Initially, it was celebrated on May 13 (the date of abolition of slavery in Brazil). It was later moved to November 20 to honor Zumbi’s death and is in some cases called Zumbi Day. It is an official state holiday in Alagoas, Amazonas, Amapá, Mato Grosso, and Rio de Janeiro, and marked somewhere else by various city councils.

In Brazil, the term “negro” or “preto” (Black) refers to Brazilian individuals with African ancestry. As per the 2010 census, Afro-Brazilians comprise 7.61% of the nation’s populace, being the second biggest ethnic group in Brazil. Most Black Brazilians are relatives of African slaves brought to the nation by Portuguese colonizers.

Up to this point, many Black Brazilians were hesitant to confess to having African ancestry. Nonetheless, in recent years, Brazil has been going through a process of reclamation of its Black identity. Black Awareness Day was initiated to disintegrate the view of Black Brazilians’ inadequacy in society and promote equivalent rights for everybody, paying little mind to their skin color or ethnic identity.

Initially, Black Awareness Day was celebrated on May 13 to recognize the cancelation of slavery in Brazil. Nonetheless, its date was changed to November 20 to mark the death anniversary of Zumbi, the last head of the community of got away from slaves known as Palmares.