VIDEO: Anielle Franco claims the term ‘Black hole’ is racist

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Anielle Franco has said that the term ‘Black hole’ is racist.

Information reads: “Termo “buraco negro” é racista, diz a ministra de Lula, Anielle Franco.”

In an interview with the program Bom dia, Ministra , from Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), this Wednesday (1/11), Anielle Franco pointed out that expressions such as “denigrate” and “black hole” have racist origins. “Denigrating is a word that the black movement and people who are racially literate do not use in any way. Or, for example: ‘we got out of this black hole’, we hear that a lot”, declared the Minister of Racial Equality.

The word “denegr”, mentioned by Anielle, has Latin origins and means to blacken. The use, however, is associated with the idea of ​​tarnishing someone’s reputation or defaming someone. The term “black hole” is used in astronomy to indicate spatial abysses with an extremely strong gravitational field. This force of gravity allows the celestial body to “suck” any object that comes close into this darkness, even light, which is why it gets its name.. 

The Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, stated this Wednesday (1st) that the term “black hole” is a racist word. The statement was made on the EBC program “Bom Dia, Minister”.

But what is a black hole within the scientific context and what is the explanation for the name given to this region of space from which nothing, not even light, escapes?

In a nutshell, a black hole is a kind of cosmic abyss that sucks into itself everything that comes close – within a certain distance – to it.

As we said, not even light escapes being attracted to these objects. And that’s why black holes are, in fact, black . And this happens for a reason: the gravitational attraction of these bodies is extremely strong. The head of the department also highlighted the importance of racial literacy and the dream of this discussion reaching the classrooms. “This goes from saying something that is offensive and that you often don’t even notice,” she points out. Racial literacy, according to the Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL), can be defined as a “set of pedagogical practices that aim to make the individual aware of the structure and functioning of racism in society and make them able to recognize, criticize and combat racist attitudes in your daily life.”

Anielle Franco, brazilian Minister of Racial Equality, claims that the word “black hole” is racist.

In 1992, a group of 400 Afro-descendant women gathered in the Dominican Republic for the First Meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Black Women. At that time, their participation in the upper echelons of politics was a demand and a dream that seemed unjustly distant. They faced challenges that persist today: the struggle against racial discrimination, political violence, inequality and poverty.

In New York, the minister will represent Brazil at the second UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which will take place from May 30 to June 2. Anielle will be at the opening table on Tuesday (30). Brazil’s Ministry of Racial Equality heads the Brazilian delegation of organizations and movements that defend the rights of black people attending the event.

The UN General Assembly created the Permanent Forum as part of the International Decade for People of African Descent and comprises ten experts from different countries.

Three decades later, in Bogotá, Colombia, some of them met again and celebrated “the first ones” to succeed. Among these accomplished women are Colombia’s first Afro-descendant minister of education, Aurora Vergara; the first-ever female vice president in Costa Rica and in the Americas, Epsy Campbell; Brazil’s first minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco; Ecuador’s first deputy in the National Assembly, Paola Cabezas; Brazil’s first trans federal deputy, Erika Hilton; the first female chief justice of Kenya’s Supreme Court, Martha Karambu; and Desirée Cormier Smith, the first-ever Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the U.S. State Department.

“As a person who has written about the history of the first women who demanded their freedom, who went before the Court, being on this panel is very eye-opening about what we are experiencing and what we are building,” said Vergara, who moderated the conversation that opened the International Afro-descendant Women Weaving from the Roots Meeting. The meeting was led by Francia Márquez, Colombia’s first vice president of African descent and the country’s minister of equality.

Brazil is the only country represented at the Forum by a Ministry focusing only on policies for the black population. One of the Forum’s main topics has been the promotion, protection, and respect for the rights of people of African descent; political, economic, and social inclusion; and assessment of good practices, challenges, opportunities, and initiatives referring to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, which deals with the struggle against all types of racial discrimination.

“This week, we saw international cases of racism against Brazilians, such as Vini Jr’s, and how Brazil responded promptly and in an unprecedented way. The government’s presence at this Forum is crucial. We’ll present strategies aligned with Brazilian black organizations and movements to extend the International Decade for People of African Descent for another ten years to reach more effective results. We’re also submitting our candidacy for a permanent seat at the next Forum’s election and for Brazil to host next year’s edition,” said Anielle.

VIDEO HERE