This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SAO PAULO 000843 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NSC FOR MIKE DEMPSEY 
 
DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR WHA/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM EINV SOCI BR TIP
SUBJECT: RACE RELATIONS IN BRAZIL: THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION 
DEBATE 
 
REF: SAO PAULO 00789 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (U) Affirmative action measures aimed at improving the 
socioeconomic situation of Afro-Brazilians are fundamental 
to the "Movimento Negro," or Black Movement.  Though 
affirmative action remains controversial, even among Afro- 
Brazilians, the controversy itself is drawing public 
attention to the issue of social inequality in an 
unprecedented way.  Advocacy efforts of the Black Movement 
have generally focused on the periphery of society, and thus 
have remained out of the public eye, but the affirmative 
action debate is a mainstream concern.  Whether or not 
advocates overcome numerous challenges to create viable 
affirmative action programs, the increasing visibility of 
race issues has contributed to higher levels of Afro- 
Brazilian political participation and to new legislative 
efforts designed to benefit Afro-Brazilians.  By mobilizing 
the large Afro-Brazilian population in support of specific 
political issues, affirmative action could bring about 
changes in Brazil's broader political scene.  This is the 
sec7QQQsUUS QUO 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) As explained reftel, self-declared "black" and 
"brown" Brazilians (a rough measure of self-identified Afro- 
Brazilians) comprise 46 percent of the population, but have 
lower incomes and higher rates of illiteracy than other 
segments of society, and are underrepresented at all levels 
of business, academia, media, and government.  Anecdotal 
evidence also indicates that Afro-Brazilians are not easily 
accepted in the upper echelons of society.  Maria Aparecida 
de Laia, the Sao Paulo State Secretary of Culture's Advisor 
for Gender, Race and Ethnicity, told us that professional 
contacts who do not know her tend to ignore her and to 
address her white subordinates when they meet her for the 
first time.  Laia explains such occurrences by saying that 
Afro-Brazilians are "aliens" within the circles of the white- 
dominated political and socioeconomic elite. 
 
¶3.  (U) Change is occurring in small increments.  Before 
soccer hero Pele's appointment as the Sports Minister in 
1995, no Afro-Brazilian had ever served as a minister in the 
federal GOB.  In 2003, President Lula appointed 4 Afro- 
Brazilians to his Cabinet, including Matilde Ribeiro as the 
head of the newly created Secretariat for the Promotion of 
Racial Equality.  At the Afro-Brazilian/African-American 
Business Summit in April, Judith Morrison of the Inter- 
American Foundation said that there are 632 black-owned 
businesses in Sao Paulo, and more than 7 million Afro- 
Brazilians in the middle class nation-wide.  "Raca" ("Race") 
magazine, the first publication aimed specifically at an 
Afro-Brazilian audience, achieved immediate and unexpected 
success when it was launched in 1996, providing an 
indication of the untapped potential of Afro-Brazilian 
buying power and the growing interest in products tailor- 
made for Afro-Brazilians. 
 
¶4.  (U) Despite these indicators of progress, many Black 
Movement activists contend that the current pace of change 
is much too slow.  Laia told us that the time is ripe for 
Afro-Brazilians to "take a leap forward" through affirmative 
action programs designed to expand Afro-Brazilian presence 
in educational institutions and in the senior ranks of 
government and business.  She contends that integrating Afro- 
Brazilians into the economic and political mainstream will 
reduce prejudice.  Many of our contacts expressed the view 
that Afro-Brazilians would not improve their socioeconomic 
status without a stronger presence in government.  Sao Paulo 
City Councilwoman Claudete Alves argues that Afro-Brazilians 
must be involved in the development of public policy because 
it is "impossible to understand" Brazilian racism without 
seeing Brazil "from a black perspective."  Jose Vicente, 
president of the Afro-Brazilian advocacy group AFROBRAS, 
told us that he believes that affirmative action measures 
can help to show Afro-Brazilians that "there is hope."  He 
contends that offering black youth educational and 
employment opportunities, as well as positive role models, 
will have a positive impact that "will be felt throughout 
Brazil." 
 
¶5.  (U) The debate to date has revolved almost exclusively 
around the racial quotas recently introduced in several 
public universities (see septel on race and education 
policy).  Opponents of affirmative action believe that race- 
based programs are misguided, because they view 
discrimination as a matter of social class rather than skin 
color.  They argue that college entrance exams are color- 
blind, and that the low Afro-Brazilian participation in the 
upper echelons of society is not the result of racism.  Some 
point out that Brazil's traditional system of racial self- 
identification is inadequate for the proposed quota systems, 
since it provides no objective basis for determining which 
candidates are eligible for programs, but worry that 
officially delineating the Afro-Brazilian community through 
the use of objective physical criteria would only increase 
racial divisions within society.  Despite the objections, a 
public opinion poll conducted by the Sensus Institute in 
May, 2004, found that 61.1 percent of respondents support 
quotas for Afro-Brazilians in public universities. 
 
PUBLIC SECTOR GETTING STARTED 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6.  (U) Afro-Brazilians are far from achieving equal 
representation in the public sector, but some progress has 
been made in the last decade.  According to Claudete Alves, 
the only Afro-Brazilian woman on the Sao Paulo City Council, 
the mere fact that the government is acknowledging the 
existence of racism is a step in the right direction. 
Economic and social inclusion of Afro-Brazilians has become 
a political concern for the GOB.  In addition to appointing 
Afro-Brazilians to the cabinet and creating a special 
cabinet post for race-related issues, President Lula has 
reached out to the Afro-Brazilian community with such 
visible gestures as visiting a traditional Afro-Brazilian 
community (quilombo).  The Foreign Ministry (Itamaraty) has 
introduced a new program to assist Afro-Brazilians and other 
underprivileged groups to prepare for the rigorous entrance 
exam for the diplomatic service. 
 
¶7.  (U) Quota systems have been introduced in some 
municipalities in Sao Paulo state.  Both state- and national- 
level institutions are exploring the possibilities for new 
affirmative action programs, some of which would go beyond 
quotas.  The draft Statute of Racial Equality, sent to 
Brazilian Congress in April, would introduce quotas for 
federal workers, and offer incentives for private companies 
with government contracts to implement affirmative action 
programs.  Other proposals include diversity training for 
police, who are often accused of racial profiling and of 
using unnecessary force against Afro-Brazilian suspects. 
 
PRIVATE SECTOR SLOW TO TAKE ACTION 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (U) Anecdotal evidence indicates that discrimination in 
hiring practices is widespread, but not openly acknowledged 
or endorsed.  Afro-Brazilian contacts tell us that a job 
announcement that requires a "nice appearance" is understood 
to mean that "blacks need not apply."  Recent studies in Sao 
Paulo shopping malls by the researchers of the Inter- 
American Union Institute for Racial Equality (INSPIR) 
estimated that only 2 percent of the employees were "black," 
while another 13 percent were "brown" (mixed).  Neide 
Aparecida Fonseca, president of INSPIR, concluded that there 
is "color and race-related prejudice" in hiring practices 
for "positions that are visible or require interaction with 
the public."  However, studies of discrimination in 
employment are rare.  Some activists conjecture that 
companies choose not to track their employees' racial 
identity, because they do not want to be pressured to 
introduce affirmative action measures.  Recently, the 
Colombo clothing company introduced a twenty percent quota 
for Afro-Brazilians, but it is the only major company to 
have done so. 
 
¶9.  (U) Leaders of the Black Movement would like to see a 
push for affirmative action measures in the private sector. 
They assert that even multinational corporations that have 
affirmative action programs elsewhere have not instituted 
them in Brazil.  At the Afro-Brazilian/African-American 
Business Summit in April, Dr. Sueli Carneiro, President of 
Geledes Institute for Black Women, criticized international 
companies operating in Brazil for "conforming to Brazilian 
racism," rather implementing affirmative action and 
nondiscrimination policies similar to those they use outside 
of Brazil. 
 
LESSONS LEARNED FROM U.S. EXPERIENCE? 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (U) The affirmative action debate is seldom raised 
without reference to the U.S. experience.  At the Afro- 
Brazilian/African-American Business Summit, Brazilian and 
U.S. participants were quick to point out that Brazil's 
present situation is comparable to that of the U.S. twenty 
or thirty years ago.  Afro-Brazilian activists tend to view 
the current U.S. situation in a very positive light.  From 
the Afro-Brazilian perspective, African-Americans have 
achieved considerable social, economic and political 
empowerment.  Humberto Adami, president of the Institute of 
Racial and Environmental Advocacy, complained that most 
Brazilians do not hesitate to "import the American way of 
life...as seen on Fox Television," but "complain about 
copying the U.S." when it comes to affirmative action. 
 
COMMENT 
-------- 
¶11.  (SBU) Affirmative action is a relatively new and very 
controversial idea in Brazil.  So far, affirmative action 
has not progressed beyond simple quota systems and attempts 
to increase recruitment of Afro-Brazilians to government 
positions and in a few public universities.  While Brazilian 
authorities have yet to determine how far to carry such 
programs, affirmative action is the issue that has most 
sparked the interest of the general public, generated public 
debate, and drawn attention to the Black Movement in Brazil. 
Only time will tell whether the ambitions of the Black 
Movement on this and other issues will come to fruition, but 
the incipient mobilization of the Afro-Brazilian community 
that it represents could lead to wider changes over time in 
Brazilian politics.  End comment. 
 
¶12.  (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy Brasilia 
and Consulate General Rio de Janeiro. 
 
DUDDY