[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text][/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_video_embed no_container=”true” type=”16:9″][/x_video_embed][x_text]A year ago, I decided to quit a Portuguese language course at the University of São Paulo, because I felt that the professors failed to represent the Afro-Brazilian and indigenous culture in their so called history lesson. Later that day, I found myself sitting in my apartment reading Langston Hughes’ Always the Same, a poem that addresses the global issue of racism and injustice. I thought to myself, here we go again. Once again, people like me have been erased. Just like in the United States, I knew that if I wanted to learn about the African experience in Brazil, I was going to have to dig deep.
After making friends with Afro-Brazilians in São Paulo, and listening to their experiences with race and identity, I decided to film their stories and share it with an American audience. Before I knew it, I was hopping on subways across the city to speak with various people, some whom I met that day. I learned a great deal from this experience and this conversation has opened my eyes to a new view of Brazil. We talked racism, higher education, spirituality and more in this in-depth conversation. In this film, you’ll meet Afro-Brazilian artists, entrepreneurs, educators and more. Get familiar with a Brazilian experience that the media doesn’t show. [/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section]