The mobilization, part of the “Black Women’s July” program, will be held under the slogan “In defense of democracy, against racism, for reparations and *buen vivir* [good living]” and will bring together women from various municipalities at Copacabana Beach, a key political venue for the Black movement in the state.
Prior to the march, organizers will hold the traditional “Lollipop Workshop” at the Institute for Research on Black Cultures; a space is dedicated to creating the signs and banners to be used during the demonstration, the outlet noted.
March coordinator Clatia Vieira told Agencia Brasil that making the signs is a political act, as it allows for discussion of the movement’s main demands and ensures that no woman is excluded from the organizing process.
The march originated in 2011, when Black women’s groups across Brazil began coordinating a major national mobilization that culminated in 2015 with a gathering of 100,000 participants in Brasilia.
The first march in Rio de Janeiro took place that same year, driven by the State Forum of Black Women, and the initiative continued even during the COVID-19 pandemic through two virtual editions.
Vieira emphasized that the movement’s continuity is a response to the persistence of structural racism in Brazilian society and advocated for the need to keep occupying public spaces to denounce the inequalities affecting Black women.
Organizers estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 people will participate in the Copacabana demonstration, with delegations arriving from municipalities such as São Francisco de Itabapoana, Cantagalo, and Niterói, as well as localities in the Baixada Fluminense.
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