RACISM, PUBLIC POLICIES AND PLURALIST ACTIVISM the transversality of social guidelines and the empowerment of the black population

Abstract

This article was presented on the panel Public policies and ethnic-racial and gender dialogue in the seminar entitled The pluralist principle as a methodological foundation for new dialogic practices, promoted by the Research Group Spiritualities, Pluralities and Dialogue, which brings together researchers from three important universities: PUC Minas , UNICAP and UFJF. The purpose of this text is to demonstrate the relationship between racism and political-social activism aimed at protecting and guaranteeing the rights of racialized and subordinated social groups. It is known that the pluralist principle erupts in the context of inter-religious dialogue initiatives. However, provoked by the dynamics of the scenario, it opens up to new perspectives beyond the practices of dialogue between religiosities. This dynamic demands that those who are concerned with the phenomenon of religious diversity take a closer look at social, political, and economic circumstances. In this sense, we assume that the pluralist principle, in addition to demanding openness to ethnic-racial dialogue from everyone, which makes sociocultural respect and fraternal coexistence between the diverse, also requires engagement in favor of social justice and the defense of human rights. With regard to racism, we conclude that this social engagement is transmuted into activism, which, associated with the theme of the pluralist principle, aims at recognizing diversity, defending social rights and empowering subaltern groups in the era of coloniality. The article is divided into three parts, namely: a) the concept of structural racism, b) the public policies and racism in Brazil c) and pluralist (integral) activism and the confrontation of racism. As a methodology, we used bibliographical research based on the contributions of Claudio de Oliveira Ribeiro, Sílvio Almeida, Paulo Freire, Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt and Kimberlé Crenshaw in dialogue with other authors who deal with the theme of racism and activism.