Those who access universities through quotas do not need to explain how they got the vacancy, when asked by those who doubt their ability or try to be racist, says the rector of the Zumbi dos Palmares University, José Vicente, in an interview with CNN this Saturday (20th), Black Consciousness Day.
“Black students do not need to justify why they are accessing and enjoying a public policy that pays through their salary and taxes. It is not the Brazilian black’s obligation to have to give justification for enjoying a public benefit. If the law says it is right, due, fair, the black student does not have to argue with anyone. This concern should not be placed on the shoulders of quota students, they have no moral or legal obligation to present a justification or defend it”, he says.
He talks about the importance of quotas, and how they increased the presence of blacks, browns and indigenous people in higher education. “Blacks were 1.8% in public universities, today they are almost 30%. Without that law, nothing would have happened. And if today’s indices point to extreme racial inequality, imagine without quotas at the beginning of the third millennium. It is necessary, indispensable, inexorable and cannot, in any way, be disregarded. Everyone should have the right to equal opportunities”.
Therefore, Vicente defends that the law be extended. “There is a consensus among blacks and whites among the great opinion makers that it is the most important and powerful public policy to combat racism and racial inequality. The most important and the only one. The society already looked into this 10 years ago. There is no reason to discuss the legitimacy, necessity and indispensability of an action of this nature. Today there is a consensus that the measure is right and continues to be necessary, especially after the pandemic.”
Actions are articulated to avoid setbacks, says the dean. “The political moment in which it is going to be debated, in the course of the elections, can bring a risk, that’s why we are paying attention to putting a popular movement in the street to guarantee the extension of the law. We are making the move to put pressure on the parliamentarian and collect up to 1 million signatures in an electronic petition, so that the parliament has a clear understanding that the demand, in addition to being fair, is a desire of the majority of Brazilians. It’s our fight, of blacks and whites”.
Reference: CNN Brasil
