All over Brazil, November 20th is Black Awareness Day. The date commemorates the death of Zumbi dos Palmares, the greatest quilombola leader in Latin America and one of the pioneers in resisting the regime of slavery imposed by the Portuguese Crown in Brazil.
The aim is to celebrate and debate the importance of the black community in Brazil, its protagonism and contributions to the history of our country.
The date had already been a state holiday in São Paulo since September 2023. However, in November of the same year, Law No. 14.759/2023 made November 20 a public holiday throughout the country, as well as an important day of remembrance. But what is the history behind the date? Find out below!
How did Black Awareness Day come about?
Initially, a much talked about date in the Brazilian calendar was May 13, commemorating the signing of the Golden Law that ended slavery in Brazil. However, the legitimacy of the date was controversial, and so others were sought that would bring more meaning to our country’s black resistance.
In 1970, black activists and researchers proposed Black Awareness Day, which would take place on November 20, the date of Zumbi dos Palmares‘ death. In this way, we would have as our protagonist a black personality of great importance to Brazilian history.
For fifteen years, Zumbi was the leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares, the largest that ever existed in Brazil. During his leadership, he resisted invasions by the Portuguese who wanted to destroy the quilombo.
In 1695, however, Zumbi was cornered and killed by the troops of Domingos Jorge Velho, a bandeirante hired by the captaincy of Pernambuco to eradicate the quilombo.
Over the centuries, he became a symbol of the resistance of black people in Brazil, and his struggle was immortalized through Black Awareness Day.
