26 photos show what it’s like to be a black woman in Brazil

Brazil lives today a racial democracy. There is no more racism around here. Whites and blacks enjoy the same opportunities and rights, in a fair and collaborative coexistence.

It is not necessary to warn that the paragraph above does not match reality at all, correct? In a country that has 53% of the population made up of blacks, the reality is different.

In fact, what exists here is a social abyss, in which open and veiled discrimination guides the daily lives of people with black skin in the country at different levels.

If it’s complicated to be black in Brazil, imagine now being a black woman. Remember that, in addition to being historically racist, Brazil is also a culturally sexist nation. It is on this type of reflection that the photographic campaign How it is to be a Black Woman deals.

Conceived by Somer Nowak, from Feminist Collective Bonecas de Pixeshe gives visibility to the diverse experiences and identities of Brazilian women.

Black women of different ages were approached by Nowak in Minas Gerais and had to answer the following question in writing: what is it like to be a black woman?

“When I handed them the sign to write their response, many paused because they had never been asked this question before,” Nowak told HuffPost Black Voices.

The result of these reflections placed on a blackboard is a multiple panorama of difficulties, struggles and joys. In short, she gives voice and empowers all black women in Brazil.