BY GABE CASTRO ON AUGUST 23, 2021

The United States is home to the largest Brazilian population outside of Brazil. According to the U.S Census, in 2019, around 499,272 Brazilians lived in the U.S.. Despite the fact that 55% of Brazil identifies as Black, their status as a Latinx country has marginalized the Afro-Brazilian population in the eyes of non-Hispanic Americans, leaving them with a unique set of challenges.

Finding themselves within a society that doesn't seem to realize that Latinidad and African descent aren’t parallel lines, five Black Brazilian women founded the Kilomba Collective in November 2019.

Co-founders Flavia Barbosa and Mel Adún recalled it all started with a conversation among friends. “It's amazing that still today people don't know that we are there. We've come already from that invisibility in Brazil, and here we have basically the same thing,” said Adún. 

“We were longing to be heard. We didn't see Black Brazilians. When talking about bigger issues they are experiencing in Brazil, we always hear the experience of other Brazilians but not us,” added Barbosa.

Black Brazilian women find themselves being kept out of Black and Latinx communities. Non-Black Brazilians were the only voices being heard and this erasure was felt as a form of violence and anti-Black rhetoric that the founders wanted to actively fight against. That is where the Collective comes in, to make a place that they would definitively belong, amongst others who would understand their struggle. A place where they could find community, celebrate, learn, and help one another through challenges in the United States.

“We need to ‘aquilombar’, which means ‘get with our own people.’ When we’re with our people, together we can get things done,” said Adún. Therefore, they named themselves after the self-sustainable revolutionary communities that represent Black liberation and resistance, memory, radical love, and affection of Black Brazilians, the Quilombos. 

In the 17th century, Quilombos were created by Black people as safe spaces for those who fled slavery. The leaders of the Quilombos were primarily Black men and women, but you would often see native people and even white allies who disagreed with the system participating. “They had a whole political system and a way of living. They got their food from the earth and created a community,” Barbosa added.

The Kilomba Collective launched on Nov. 20, 2019, purposely during Black Awareness Month. They began offering workshops to educate and empower women on financial literacy, resume building, and how to apply for support in pursuing a college degree. For Barbosa, the mission is to be a resource for Black Brazilian women. “It’s all very new for them. When you just get here and maybe you want to pursue a higher education degree. The idea is to give them the path, the way, where they can go and find information, or find whatever it is they need.”

Operating amidst the pandemic

Kilomba Collective was only just getting on its feet when the pandemic hit. It forced them to change their approach to building this multi-generational network and community space. They created a WhatsApp group that allowed for them to communicate with each other. Using the app, they have been able to relay important information and assist the women through many challenges.

Members are now able to start conversations about issues and request specific workshops to target areas they need guidance on. This can be an incredible resource for the women who are starting their journey into higher education and don’t know where to start. They partnered with Negritude Brasileira no PhD to inform and support Black Brazilian women to get into a Master program in the U.S.. The Collective provides resources, tools, and a network for them to pursue those dreams. Some return the favor and create workshops to help other members. There’s a natural give and take within the group as the members are both the students and educators of their workshops. 

Even beyond the workshops, the WhatsApp group proved to be a great resource for immigrant members. “ [The Collective] was very important because, when you’re in a different country where you don’t know anyone, just having that network help. If something were to happen, you think ‘who can I call?’ and you don’t have anybody. But now you have the group, the Collective,” Adún explained. That is why she can’t stress enough about the importance of having a community of people who not only speak your language but have been where you are and can guide you through these challenges.

During the Pandemic, and the subsequent Stay-at-Home orders, there was an uptick in domestic abuse cases. Therefore, the Collective created a booklet featuring information for financial and psychological support available in Portuguese. The booklet helps bridge the gap for immigrant women who are struggling to navigate their way to support in the U.S..

Kilomba in Brazil

Brazilians back home needed help too during the pandemic. Black Brazilian families were unable to provide for themselves —their food and basic supplies were running low and the government was not offering any assistance. 

The Collective began the campaign “tem gente com fome”  and created workshops that anyone would be able to attend, such as Samba classes. The funds collected assisted those families in need in their motherland. 

Adún quotes Angela Davis in saying, “When a black woman moves, the whole structure of society moves with her.” This thought motivates her and, she feels, similarly represents the goal for the Kilomba Collective’s future. “It’s that idea, that whatever we do it’s not just for us. It’s not just for Black people. But instead, it's for the whole community, the whole structure. This is what we’re growing to do. We’re really new but these are our motives, our mission,” she explains.

As the Kilomba Collective continues to grow, they expect to launch their blog which will feature articles about their experiences and helpful resources. If you are a Black Brazilian woman looking for community and resources, you can join the WhatsApp group by reaching out via email to info@kilomba.org. And if you want to stay up to date on their events and workshops, or just support them, follow them @kilombacollective on Instagram.