Brazil In Black And White: Update

Students at the University of Pelotas. Twenty percent of the students were admitted under an affirmative action policy for black or pardo students. courtesy of Mario Theodoro hide caption

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courtesy of Mario Theodoro

In 2017, we released the first ever Rough Translation episode, about what happened when Brazil, a country that's always prided itself on its multiple shades of brown, implemented an affirmative action policy based on phenotype: If you look black, you can qualify for special quotas in universities and federal jobs.

This meant creating special panels that would look at prospective job or university candidates and decide whether they were "black enough" to qualify.

This week, we revisit that episode, with a brief update about how those racial inclusion policies are faring, after the election of a Brazilian president who is outspokenly anti-affirmative action.

Want more? You can listen to all of our episodes here.