Brazil being the fifth largest and fifth most populated in the world is divided is occupied by many people with various cultural backgrounds. The country is divided into an assortment of regions that are often used for political purposes but in real sense these regions are occupied by various communities who possess different practices. The North-eastern part is occupied mostly by individuals of African origins some of whom came from Angola (during the slave trade which was ended in 1888) with practices such as samba which has since evolved into diverse practices across the country; towards the south and the south west there are Brazilians with Japanese and European origins the native Brazilians occupy the North as well as the Central parts of the country.
With all these communities co-habiting there has been several cases of racial inter-breeding which plays a very big role as far as fighting racism conflicts in concerned. From the arrival of the Portuguese, Brazilian culture has never been the same again. The centuries of European dominion have made the country a pot of nationalities as they came with diverse ideas, innovative knowledge in addition to various beliefs which significantly altered the face of the country by making great revolutionizing local practices. All these have played a part in the current state of Brazil in every aspect from the cultural to the economic as well as people’s mentality about the colour of their skins.

When slave trade was abolished in the late 19th century, individuals of African origins were left in the country they were in. They happy and had hope that things would change for the better due to their newly acquired freedom. But this was not the case. Facilities were provided for different races with European resources being more efficient that any other as they were treated as the superior breed. From Spencer’s view on development and Darwin’s theory “survival of the fittest” most Brazilians believed that the white genes would outdo every other and one day the nation will be all “white”. It is not clear why blacks were never employed officially like their white counterparts after the attainment of their freedom. But it is believed that the all white theory (which made the blacks more inferior while the whites dominated the executive positions in every sector of the state) was the main root of it all. Former slave owners were also discouraged from employing their former slaves instead they were urged to employ the low income whites. All these do not necessarily mean that Brazil is a paradise for the whites and a racial hell for the people of colour. In spite of the absence of the confrontational politics along with racial conflicts, there is evidence that race based relations are already in motion. These are techniques which have established fresh barriers in addition to the new likelihood for setting the country free from racialization.

However, there has been tremendous progress during these last two decades where a succession of fresh progress around the black identity and the addition politics surrounding it in Brazil. The self-perception in addition to hope of societies marginalized communities has transformed. This due to the manipulation from the international trail of inspirations mainly facilitated by the advancements in media related technologies, globalization and interactions using various common languages which have brought people from various social statuses together as well as the evolution perception.

The myth that racism was not as pronounced in Brazil as it was in other countries is a misconception. The issue has been looked into since time immemorial but the problem that is dragging it down is the lack of proper actions taken in order to curb or even just reduce it. There have been masses of racially prejudiced legislation in Brazil even though those in America and South Africa were more intense and more pronounced. For instance, during the colonial times, there laws which divided people according to the colour of their skin. The craft of Goldsmith, and gun possession as well as usage were only for the whites at some point. On the country’s official constitution, there were statements which forbade blacks from attending schools in the late nineteenth century. In 1923, there was a rule that no black immigrants were allowed as for the Asians only 5% were allowed per year; but persons whose grandparents were both white were allowed at any given time. Interbreeding among African, Amerindians and the Portuguese brought about offspring with unclear origins thereby covering up the fact that there is pervasive prejudice linked to certain features of one’s physical manifestation. These physical aspects include skin colour, hair type and the shape of an individual’s nose as well as lips. Second generation persons with more white features are known to have miscegenation among their kind while those with more black features are more open to cross breeding.

Racial inequalities is now at the top of every agenda in Brazil and law makers are now striving to make policies and rules that favour a good percentage of the country’s population. Projects have since been established in order to address the race issue in the nation. The popularity of slavery, the sluggishness when it came to its eradication and the reality that not much was done to make former slaves feel welcomed as official citizens are some of the problems associated with racism in Brazil. These are the main factors contributing to the excessive socioeconomic inequality that is spread all over the country today. Reports from government officials in 2010 show that in as much as there are equal facilities provided for people of every race, blacks are still disadvantaged in the level of education they are getting, the health supplies and insurance policies are also quite low for the coloured folks s compared to their white counterparts. Their economic capabilities are also not left behind as 51% of the people living in slums are blacks.

The misconceptions concerning racism in Brazil are there because unlike in the United States where it meant segregation, racism in Brazil never involved segregation. Mixing and co-habitation has always been the norm and the few free people of colour that existed comprise the few who live in elite estates in exclusive areas within the country. The lack of separation has brought about the broad spectrum of colour to a certain extent than a dichotomy. The cloaked racism is actually the main reason why it has been ignored for such a long time. The issue is more pronounced now more than ever as it has also spread to the education sector. More than fifty universities require that an applicant states their races at the time of admission. The slots provided for black individuals are fewer than those provided for the other races. However there have been measures put in place to take care of these problems and right now there are more black students in academic institutions more than there has ever been for the past five centuries. The race problem is also seen at work places. For instance, if there are two applicants for a particular position, the probability that the white individual will get the position is higher than those of the black person. However, this is a situation that is starting to change as the private sector in Brazil these days provide for a particular percentage of their employees to be black or in some cases brown as opposed to what was happening before where no company would even consider hiring a coloured skin if there was a white applicant not considering their qualifications or experiences. The face of democracy for the black folks has now begun to change for the better. Universities can now make their own decisions and disregarding the colour of one’s skin is one of them. The central government is now trying to promote the implementation of policies unlike the imposition they did earlier, the society is also revolutionizing at a higher rate now. Businesses are booming, most blacks have left the poverty zone and many cosmetologists now target the black as a market for their wide range products. Since many blacks have now risen economically, flights to destinations within and around Brazil now spot some black individuals something that was not a possibility a few years ago. In show biz, until recently people of colour only played house maid positions. Lately, there are people of African origins in the lead roles. This shows that the conservative and discriminatory characteristics are making progress and may soon be eliminated. Laws on discrimination and penalties for defaulters have been in Brazil since the 1950s. In 1988, racial abuse as well as every other crime connected to racism was declared to be grave crimes against humanity and even though there have been very few prosecutions (which is attributed to the racism in the judiciary) this is such a big development in the fight against racism in Brazil. The other factor is the fact that the judges taking care of these cases are short-tempered and pretty harsh. Offenders are at all times jailed before the hearing as well as after. According to a study by Fabiano Dias Monteiro, a people of colour movement preferring affirmative action obliged the government into losing interest in measures taken against offenders. Either way this has not helped in any way with transforming the attitudes of people.

If compared to racism in any other country, racial discrimination in Brazil is nothing. But its presence however minute is felt when economic and various opportunities surface. The probability that a person of colour will be immersed in poverty is over and over again much higher, the prospects of progressing in any field more oblique and their academic standing lower that their white counterparts. Incorporating racial education in schools is expected to improve the situation. The people taking part in developing the country is an assortment of black and whites in various sectors from the lowest to the highest an improvement from what was happening centuries before. Brazil possesses vast cultural beliefs which have since divided its people into distinct races and communities; but communities which live near each other are known to borrow some cultural practices that interest them while eliminating some of their own that are outdated and unappealing to their neighbours. Having related practices brings people together as they will have less conflicting ideas hence less racial discriminatory activities. One important cultural practice that is practiced among various communities in the world is marriage. Different societies celebrate the event in their own way, but just the mere act of it between poles apart societies have made it easier for families along with their entire race get along with one another as it becomes difficult to fight or even argue with one of your in as much as their skin colour may not be similar.