Silvia Cristina, 48, is an exception in the Chamber of Deputies. A parliamentarian for the PL of Rondônia, she is part of a small group of black women elected in 2018 to that House: 13 out of 513, less than 3% of legislators.
She says she does not doubt that prejudice against black people affects candidates and congresspersons themselves. "For you to have an idea, I have been stopped from entering the Chamber, even though I had the identity card that identifies us. I had to reintroduce myself, 'look, I'm a deputy,'" says Cristina.
Getting to the House as a parliamentarian is a difficult task for anyone, but the obstacles overcome by black people are greater than those faced by white people.
According to the study "Racial Inequality in Brazilian Elections," white candidates are at least twice as likely to be elected federal or state deputy compared to black candidates (black and brown).
Made by INSPER's Nucleus of Racial Studies, the work shows, for example, that 3,117 black candidates were vying for a seat in the Chamber in 2018.
With 124 elected, the success rate was 3.98%. In the case of whites, there were 4,425 candidates and 386 elected, with a success rate of 8.72%.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon