Educação e racismo estrutural: o papel da escola na luta antirracista no Brasil

Abstract

This work explores contemporary movements of resistance and transformation in the educational field, focused on building anti-racist practices in schools. We start from the premise that racism is historically structured under the shadow of coloniality, configuring persistent inequalities in Brazilian education. The school space, therefore, becomes a stage where these inequalities can be both perpetuated and combated. In this context, we criticize the persistent Eurocentrism in curricula, a legacy that we continue to face and that fuels the reproduction of racial inequalities. There is an urgent need to remodel teacher training, entrusting it with a critical responsibility: cultivating notions of racial awareness and valuing Afro-Brazilian cultures. The applicability of public policies, such as laws that incorporate Afro-descendant history and culture into school teaching, represent an important achievement towards fairer education. We also propose the implementation of transformative pedagogical practices that promote racial equity, proposing a true redesign of the curriculum so that it reflects Brazil's cultural plurality. We firmly believe that education holds the potential to deconstruct structural racism in schools. Thus, the challenge launched by this work is to deeply reflect the formative role of schools in shaping more equitable racial relations, transforming them into trenches to combat all forms of exclusion and racial discrimination in Brazilian society.