STRUCTURAL RACISM IN THE DAILY LIFE OF HUMAITÁ – AM

Abstract

The article analyzes structural racism in Brazil, breaking with the myth of racial democracy and defining it as a social logic that perpetuates the exclusion of Black and Indigenous people, rooted in slavery. In Amazonas, this structure manifests itself in an intersectional way, impacting traditional populations and articulating with environmental racism. The qualitative study, conducted in Humaitá/AM, interviewed seven Black people and revealed that racism is a daily and multifaceted reality, manifesting itself as recreational racism (insults disguised as humor), symbolic violence (stares), and interpersonal discrimination (at work and in the neighborhood). The accounts show the suffering and pain caused by this exclusion, but also reveal resistance strategies that range from resignation to the active defense of dignity, including resorting to legal complaints. The conclusion is that, to overcome racism in the region, a profound transformation of power structures and the construction of a society based on racial justice and equity is necessary.