The black people
State government actions in favor of the black people
Education
With the aim of eradicating the racial prejudice, Secretaria da Educação (Department of Education), in partnership with Conselho da Comunidade Negra (Board of the Black Community) enabled 160 primary school teachers, both in the capital and in the countryside region, to address the issue with their students. In 2004, the department implemented a program ("Programa de Formação Continuada São Paulo: Educando pela Diferença") designed to expand teaching activities to graduate 3200 primary and secondary teachers.
The project is intended to call teachers' attention to the racial issue, seeking comprehension and analysis of discrimination processes against students and against the society in general, in addition to preparing educational and pedagogical activities together with teachers aimed at helping students face the prejudice, thus encouraging a new perspective through which it is possible to cope with the differences and diversities.
The course also focuses on the continued training of teachers in History and Afro-Brazilian Culture. The pragmatic content includes subjects of African History and African people, the struggle of the black people in Brazil, the Brazilian black culture and the role of the black in the society. This content is part of Arts, Literature and History classes.
Justice and Defense of Citizenship
Secretaria da Justiça (Department of Justice) will be carrying out a social, economic and racial census of the state's civil servants with a view to planning affirmative actions. The census, scheduled to start in May 2004, is likely to be completed in 12 months. The project has already been planned and will be carried out in five steps. One of its objectives is to call the attention of civil servants to the importance of both the ethical identity and of the census.
At Centros de Integração da Cidadania - CIC (Centers of Integration of Citizenship) and Poupatempo units, there are special activities focused on people who suffer discrimination. Additionally, the department will be implementing a course on racism crimes and other subjects related to the rights of African descendents. The target audience is lawyers, members of the Department of Justice, of the State Attorney Office and of the Judiciary.
Culture
In November 2003, the governor Geraldo Alckmin signed a document transferring Pavilhão Manoel da Nóbrega, at Parque do Ibirapuera, to another site. The building will be now home to Museu Afro-Brasil (Afro-Brazil Museum), where works of art by Emanuel Araújo will be exposed.
Security
In March 2004, the state government brought up the number of classes addressing specific subjects about the racial diversity in the preparation courses for police officers.