The Philanthropy, Social Justice, Civil Society and Democracy Seminar, by Rede Comuá, highlighted the central role that black women must play in debates on decolonization and reconceptualization of the field of philanthropy in Brazil.
By Andreia Simplicio
The logic of colonization and the hierarchization of bodies created tools of racial disparity that are based on coloniality and are maintained through power dynamics in social relations. These subsidize the behavior and social imaginary that feed and reproduce racial violence in everyday life. The logic of subalternization also impacts the structure of grassroots organizations and the format in which they are included in the philanthropic ecosystem, donation culture and political scenario.
The process of philanthropic reconceptualization, which includes considering the format of the donation culture, has been strengthened in the field of theoretical production, in favor of the promotion of human rights. Considering the epistemicidal processes and the valorization of knowledge and practices carried out by traditional people, seen as central to the debate. While philanthropy moves away from the origin of benevolence, the culture of donation maintains this conservative character, through characteristics that need to be revised to give meaning to the social meaning of subjects of rights.
The Philanthropy, Social Justice, Civil Society and Democracy Seminar of Rede Comuá brought perspectives that discuss a process of reconceptualization of the field of philanthropy in Brazil, with the discussion of decolonization being central, tensioning the nuances that make us question social structures and how they impact also in the format of resource distribution.
Traditional people must be considered as holders of philanthropic knowledge, as populations that have been vulnerable throughout history are also responsible for playing a leading role in processes of social advancement. These play fundamental roles in the advancement of democracy, through their territorial action and their knowledge of social mobilization.
In this article, emphasis is placed on black women, who make up more than 28% of the population and represent the largest demographic group in the country (PNAD, 2019). To the detriment of this, black women have the lowest social indicators, such as access and quality of rights. They are also the group most impacted by the neoliberal and conservative advances of the current social situation, as well as the economic, social and political impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic mobilized many people who donated money, goods and time to strengthen the fight against the health crisis and combat its effects (IDIS, 2020). The outbreak of the disease is historically seen as a watershed in terms of worsening social disparities, especially the institutionalization of death policies. In addition to promoting a culture of donation, solidarity was also seen in the search for coping with social emergencies, such as hunger. During the hardest period of the pandemic, black women remain at the forefront of responses to social issues.
According to Activism and Pandemic research, “the historical political activity of black women in Brazil is revealed in the predominance of 73.2% in organizations and groups”. It is assumed that 56% of women's movements and LBTIs in Brazil are informal; 73.6% of the women's and trans people's movements host their activism in their homes, in rented spaces or in borrowed properties, and 54% had up to R$ 20,900.00 for their activities throughout the year (ELAS+, 2021).
The Survey, carried out with 953 organizations led by cis and trans women from all over Brazil, identified the impact of Covid19 on the territory/community, the way in which organizations were affected and how groups are overcoming the difficulties of the pandemic.
“According to the research, communities were affected mainly in the following categories: access to digital tools and technologies; access to information about Covid-19; social vulnerabilities in the context of the pandemic; increase in violence; mental illness; food insecurity; work, employment and income; mobility; socio-environmental justice “(ELAS+, 2021).
“Organizations were affected in their infrastructure, in the implementation of their activities and in their operations and their teams. The impact categories stand out: access to digital tools and technologies; mental health of members; vulnerability of members; work, employment and income of members; mobilization of financial resources; increased demand; challenge of non-physical presence in territories” (ELAS+, 2021).
“To overcome the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, organizations and groups were proactive, acted on the front line, facilitated dialogue between the community and the State; expanded and strengthened networks; provided reception and support; carried out actions for digital equity; reinvented their activism” (ELAS+, 2021).
It is pointed out that, in a pandemic scenario, women showed themselves to be creative, invested in their technical and political qualifications and promoted social emergency actions in their communities. They constructed responses to social disparities and the setback in social rights through collective organization. The transformative power of investment in organizations led by these women, whether cis or trans, is written in history as an inversion of values that undervalue the existence of being black and being a woman.
As Angela Davis said: “When black women move, the entire structure of society moves with them” – and this statement is a concrete reference because we know that they are the ones who head families, lead communities and organizations. Strengthening the protagonism of black women has a structural impact. The power of social transformation directed by the actions of these women is still immeasurable quantitatively, but it has the power to mobilize structures of oppression, impact trajectories and are capable of having repercussions on political systems and public policies in the field of philanthropy and the sociocultural imaginary.
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Bibliographic references:
Impact of COVID 19 on civil society organizations led by women and trans people in Brazil [electronic book]: activism and pandemic / ELAS+ Doar para Transformar; [coord: KK Verdade; Amália Fischer] Rio de Janeiro, 2021.
National household sample survey: PNAD: microdata. IBGE, 2019.
Brazil 2020 donation survey / [IDIS – Institute for the Development of Social Investment] ; coordination Andréa Wolffenbüttel. — São Paulo: IDIS – Institute for the Development of Social Investment, 2021.
Participation in this activity was made possible by the Professional Capabilities Strengthening Program, within the scope of the Comuá Network Strategic Support Program, whose objective is to support the development and strengthening of the professional skills and capabilities of technical staff from member organizations. This support line is designed as a strategy aimed at expanding and deepening knowledge and strengthening its activities in the fields of community philanthropy and social justice.
Andreia Lohane Resende Simplicio is a Social Worker and specialist in policies, childhood, youth and diversity graduated from the University of Brasília. Researcher on the topics of health, gender, racism and youth. It is part of the health and youth rights observatory (UNFPA). He served as international representative of Afro youth in Latin America and the Caribbean (UJAFRO). She has experience in public policy management and diversity in the federal district women's secretariat (SMDF), consultancy for social projects, resource mobilization, mentoring and mentoring of youth and adolescents. Playful educator, working in active and participatory methodologies for health promotion and violence prevention. He currently works as development and resource mobilization assistant at the ELAS+ social fund.
