CONSTRUINDO PONTES ENTRE JUVENTUDE NEGRA E CIÊNCIA PARA A PROMOÇÃO DA EQUIDADE RACIAL NA EDUCAÇÃO (Entrevista com Ricardo Henriques)

Abstract

The Instituto Unibanco (IU) has been working for the improvement of public education in Brazil for the last 15 years and more recently has joined forces with civil society organizations to strengthen the promotion of racial equality in education. The partnership with the ‘Associação Brasileira de Pesquisadores/as Negros/as’ (‘Brazilian Association of Black Researchers’ / ‘ABPN’) began in 2018 with the promotion of the ‘Afrocientista’ (‘Afroscientist’) project, which was held for the third time in 2022, involving 12 Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous Study Centers (NEAB/NEABIS) and 100 Black scholarship students from secondary schools and higher education. The main objective of the project is to awaken scientific vocation and encourage talents amongst these young people through the participation in scientific research activities guided by ethnic-racial issues. Issues addressed by Ricardo Henriques in this interview included reflections upon the scenario found in the country over the last 20 years with respect to the advances made and the challenges faced for the reduction of racial inequalities in education and the importance of the Afrocientista project in the current context. Other issues were also brought into this discussion, such as: the importance of the Black Movement and Black intellectuals in scientific production and analysis of ethnic-racial relations in Brazilian society; the need for Affirmative Actions throughout the Basic Education cycle to bring about changes in various dimensions of the school environment; and the role private social investment plays in strengthening Black philanthropy.  Afrocientista is considered to be a bridge between public school, university, Black youth and the community, and its potential can be seen in the generation of engagement and leadership amongst young people, by asserting the value of benchmarks for the strengthening of students’ Black identity and the inclusion of the ethnic-racial debate in schools, thereby increasing the likelihood of students remaining in school and continuing with their studies.