In July and September, Ferguson and six other mothers from Penfield district, organized two Black Kids Matter rallies at the Harris Whalen Park for children 12 and under, to make them more aware of the issues that their schools wouldn’t talk about. These moms, who had never met before, organized everything over online zoom calls during the pandemic. They met one night before the rally at the park with their children, in order to make signs for the next day.

“The school says they will look into it, but they never really do, you know,” Ferguson said. “And if they can’t talk to the kids, both Black and white, about this important stuff, then we moms have got to do it.”

It wasn’t only black children and their mothers, but people of all colours and nationalities who joined both the rallies, creating an inclusive and cohesive space.

“Penfield is a very white community with a lot of redlining and segregation, and I definitely don’t want my white children to be one of those perpetrators, I want them to be allies,” Stacy Phillips, one of the white mothers who co-organized the rally said. “I want to raise decent human beings who are aware of these issues and aren’t afraid to take a stand.”

These mothers attempted to emulate the Black Kids Matter march that took place at Brooklyn in 2020, along with their own additions to it. This included a sign-making session, a short march of  five blocks, and a story-telling session, followed by an outdoor debriefing by the mothers.

“The whole point of this kid-friendly format of storytelling, the debriefing and everything is so that we can have these difficult conversations with our kids in a way that’s not jarring,” Ferguson said. “Some protests just aren’t age-appropriate, like we don’t want them thinking about police, pepper spray, petitions already.”

The rally even included an open stage which opened the microphone to all the children and gave them a chance to talk about their personal experiences with race, sing a song, or express themselves in any way they liked. 

“After all, we wanted this to be an empowering and celebratory event of Black lives and Black joy and Black hope where all the kids were comfortable to speak what they felt,” Ferguson said. “And most importantly, we wanted to remind these Black kids just how much they matter.”

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Ernesto Xavier, a Black actor, anthropologist and editor in chief of GQ Magazine in Brazil often posts in social media about race. His posts are getting more hits than ever.

“The difference is remarkable,” he said. “Because of the Black Lives Matters protests in Brazil, I gained 2,000 followers from one day to another. People seem to have woken up.” 

The legacy of racism in Brazil has been brutal.

The country’s population is  of 55.8 percent black and “pardo” (brown skinned) people. According to official numbers of a Brazil’s human rights report hotline, 615 complaints related to racism were registered in 2018.  Racism is considered illegal in the Brazilian constitution,  but the evidence of rampant racism in the country are overwhelming.

“It is important to follow the news to know if we are being discriminated against,” said journalist, Silvandira Costa. “We must know our rights so that we can pursue justice and a better future, consequently. It’s sad that this movement is only happening now after the death of George Floyd, but it’s better to happen now than not to happen at all. We can’t breathe.”

Brazil enslaved more than four million Africans.   That’s ten times more than the number of slaves brought to the U.S. and raced based inequalities are deeply felt by its Black citizens. 

Black people were seen as possession because of slavery,” Xavier said. “There were several public policies to eliminate us [Blacks] and to whiten the population, like when Portugal brought Europeans and gave them land in Brazil to populate the country. White people were the ones who created the term “negro.” 

The same issues that plague African American can be found in this majority Black country, ruled by a white president. Blacks make up 64 percent of the prison population, earn 57 percent less than whites and suffer from police brutality. Access to education, jobs, and income inequality also mirror the problems African Americans face in the U.S.

“Just a few years ago, when I went into stores, shop assistants used to follow me every time, afraid that I would steal something because I’m black,” said Silvandira Costa, a retired  housemaid. “I have also suffered several types of discriminations because of my skin color in several other situations in Brazil.”  

Dr. Luiz Herculano, a Portuguese professor at the Federal University in Santa Catarina, has also experienced racism. While traveling on behalf of the congress to Columbia, he was met with scrutiny at the airport.

“She triple checked my passport and all of my documentation when I was checking in,” he said. “She was not used to seeing a Black man travelling on business class, so she was suspicious.”

And because of poor health care, people are contracting and dying of COVID-19 in far greater numbers than whites. Brazil is quickly emerging as the next epicenter of the virus and expected to surpass the U.S.

“Racism is a system of oppression that kills, discriminates and maintains white privilege,” said journalist, Sayonara Oliveira. “It prevents Black people from having a job, opportunities, a place at a university or even be morally or physically abused.”

Xavier said the fight against racism is everyone’s fight. 

“People don’t realize that racism impacts all social relations in society,” he said.  “If a country has a significant level of poverty, or criminality, or low levels of education, it affects everyone. To recognize white privilege is a question of humanity and civility.”

 Brazil’s black citizens have long suffered from systematic racism  which  means racism is essentially everywhere in their lives, from lack of representation in big corporations, universities, housing and in every aspect of Black life. Racist jokes are also a common practice in Brazil. 

“We are often referred to in racist jokes so that we won’t reach the top,” Herculano said. “You inferiorize in order to maintain a white domination and privilege.” 

He said in Brazil, the deaths of Black people and children, such as Agatha and João Pedro have shown that black people are often not treated as citizens in the country.

But Oliveira, is  hopeful that because of the attention on racism now, will mean a better future. 

“I’m seeing a lot of white people who never showed any interest in racism asking me about it,” she said. “Friends are asking me for book recommendations , my opinions on certain matters. I’m optimistic that the future holds a better situation for Black people in Brazil.”

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Created both by amateurs and professionals, a vast collection of artworks rapidly spread on social media with hashtags such as #blacklivesmatter, #georgefloyd, #icantbreathe, #saytheirnames and #BLM.

Abby Zeciroski, 44, a Chicago based artist, combines traditional print images, digital scans and painting to present her views on segregation. 

Zeciroski has also been an activist in Chicago for LGBT rights, police brutality, the drug war, animal rights for more than 20 years.

“In my city, there are invisible walls,” Zeciroski said. “I want people to go beyond slogans. I want people to realize that all my art is interconnected.”

Emily, 20, painted a portrait of George Floyd’s face with his last words “I can’t breathe” and got almost four thousand likes on Instagram. She said that social media platforms enable young artists like her to deliver their messages to the world faster than ever.

“The fact that I posted a painting of George Floyd and someone knew him saw it and thanked me for it, It blew my mind,” Emily said. “I’m so happy that I am part of this movement now.”

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Into the night: chaos. 

Yesterday demonstrators gathered at Union Square to continue protesting the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police force. 

The gathering began at 3 pm, with peaceful protest and march that snaked through the streets of Manhattan, down the West Side Highway, through Washington Square Park and the Lower East Side. 

As night fell and tensions rose, once again protestors and police clashed. NYPD cruisers and transport vehicles were set ablaze, stores looted, and both police and protestors injured. 

Union Square, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Marchers leave Washington Square Park, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Demonstrators march through the Bowery, May 29 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Demonstrators march through Chelsea, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A demonstrator gets milk poured on them after being pepper-sprayed. May 29, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A person stands in front of a burning NYPD vehicle, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Police and demonstrators meet, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

Police and protestors clash, May 30, 2020.

A man is arrested at Union Square, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

A person helps a woman just pepper-sprayed, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

NYPD cordon off an area outside Union Square, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

George Floyd painted on a storefront in the Lower East Side, May 30, 2020. Photo by Thomas Hengge

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In Harlem, demonstrators met in front of the Adam Clayton Powel Jr. State Office Building on W. 125th St. From there, the group took a short march around Central Harlem. And then the first standoffs began in front of the 28th Precinct.

From there, the demonstrators walked to the Henry Hudson Parkway. Taking the southbound on-ramp at W. 125th St., they quickly filled the road. Many drivers honked and waved in support as the demonstrators criss crossed between lanes to mitigate the disruption of traffic. The demonstrators marched off the highway at 96th street, walking to Washington Square Park to meet with other demonstrators. After a brief interlude where organizers spoke to the crowd, the demonstrators moved again, moving south to the Lower East Side before hooking back around to Union Square Park.

It was during this section of the march where tensions rose. Police in riot gear greeted passing demonstrators as they walked from Delancey Street to Union Square Park, and verbal confrontations became more frequent. Buildings and police vehicles were vandalized around Astor Place, with one police van damaged by a smoke bomb. As groups from across the city coalesced in Union Square Park, things quickly escalated. Clashes with police occurred across downtown Manhattan through the night.

More demonstrations are expected across the city  today.

Protester watching from atop the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Memorial in Harlem. Photo by Daniel Girma

Police form a line in front of the 28th Precinct in Harlem. Photo by Daniel Girma

Demonstrators sit and chant on W. 125th St. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

Demonstrators march to the Henry Hudson Parkway. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

Demonstrators close the Henry Hudson Parkway near W. 125th Street. May 30, 2020. Photo By Daniel Girma

Two demonstrators are arrested on the Henry Hudson Parkway in the Upper West Side. Photo by Daniel Girma

Demonstrators gather in Washington Square Park after the long walk from Harlem. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

A police officer and demonstrator argue in the Lower East Side. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

A demonstrator vandalizes a window near Union Square Park. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

A police officer ushers demonstrators away from a vandalized police van. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

A police van vandalized by demonstrators. May 30, 2020. Photo by Daniel Girma

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