National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness
In Brazil, the National Day of Zumbi and Black Consciousness, also known simply as Black Consciousness Day is observed every year on 20 November. Conceived in 1971 by poet and activist Oliveira Silveira and the Porto Alegre–based Grupo Palmares, the date was incorporated into the national school calendar in 2003, recognized as a national commemorative date in 2011, and established as a national public holiday on 21 December 2023.
The occasion is dedicated to reflecting on the value and contributions of Afro-Brazilians and to debates about racism, discrimination, social equality and inclusion, as well as Afro-Brazilian and African culture. The date was chosen to honor the death of Zumbi of the Quilombo dos Palmares, highlighting Black protagonism in Brazilian history.
History
Origins
The idea of celebrating 20 November emerged amid Black social movements against racism in the 1970s. In 1971, in Porto Alegre, Oliveira Silveira proposed the date within the Grupo Palmares, an association of activists and researchers of Black Brazilian culture. Drawing an analogy with the remembrance of Tiradentes on the date of his death, Silveira argued for commemorating Zumbi's death to center Black agency in national memory. A magazine by Editora Abril listed 20 November as the date of Zumbi's death, which inspired the group's choice; the proposal was approved by members Vilmar Nunes, Ilmo da Silva and Antônio Carlos Côrtes.Two years after the first celebration, the group's challenge to the traditional 13 May date reached national news, and events honoring overlooked Black historical figures began to spread across the country every November. In 1978, the Unified Black Movement included Black Consciousness Day in a manifesto, marking the success of the proposal and the end of Grupo Palmares' activities.
Censorship under the military regime
The proposal arose during the military dictatorship, three years after AI-5. When a newspaper announced the 20 November 1971 commemoration under the headline "Zumbi – The homage of the theater's Black people," authorities reportedly confused "Grupo Palmares" with the armed organization VAR-Palmares. The group was summoned by the Federal Police and required to submit the full program to obtain approval by censors.Significance
The day symbolizes resistance and recognition of the African ancestry that shaped Brazil, through the homage to the leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares, Zumbi, killed in an ambush in 1695 after repeated colonial assaults. Zumbi has been listed in the Livro dos Heróis da Pátria at the Tancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom since 1997. Each year the Coordenação Nacional de Entidades Negras organizes the traditional Marcha Zumbi dos Palmares, with themes focused on the struggles and interests of the Black community.Official recognition and public holiday
A similar federal proposal was introduced in 2003 but archived in 2009.Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's first administration, Law No. 10,639/2003 added Black Consciousness Day to school calendars and mandated instruction on History and Afro-Brazilian Culture in the national curriculum for public and private schools, including African history, the struggle of Black people in Brazil and the role of Black Brazilians in national formation. In 2008, the Ministry of Education assessed that implementation lagged, due to a lack of training not only for teachers but also for principals and coordinators.
Law No. 12,519/2011 subsequently instituted National Zumbi and Black Consciousness Day to be commemorated each 20 November. A bill to make the date a national holiday advanced in the Senate in September 2021 and was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in 2023; it was enacted as Law No. 14,759 on 21 December 2023.
Before the federal law, several states and over a thousand municipalities had already declared local holidays. Alagoas established the state holiday in 1995. In 2002, Rio de Janeiro and Mato Grosso did so as well, followed by Amapá in 2007 and Amazonas in 2010. In Rio Grande do Sul, where Grupo Palmares operated, Law No. 8,352 of 11 September 1987 included the date in the official calendar. Also in 1987, São Paulo established Black Consciousness Month in November.
A 2014 survey by the Secretariat for Policies to Promote Racial Equality reported that 1,044 municipalities regulated the holiday locally. In São Paulo state alone it is a municipal holiday in the capital and more than 100 other cities.