{"id":116457,"date":"2025-07-10T07:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T10:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufrgs.br\/jornal\/?p=116457"},"modified":"2025-07-10T08:10:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T11:10:32","slug":"afrocentricity-in-health-a-holistic-approach-to-welcoming-and-representation-of-black-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ufrgs.br\/jornal\/afrocentricity-in-health-a-holistic-approach-to-welcoming-and-representation-of-black-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Afrocentricity in health: a holistic approach to welcoming and representation of Black people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Health | Afrocentric medicine seeks to redefine medical care, reduce the consequences of racism, and humanize interactions between people<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

*By:\u00a0Simone Dias Marques
*First published January 11, 2024
*Photo: Marcelo Pires\/JU<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Structural racism and discrimination continue to pose significant barriers to the health of Black people in Brazil. The damages are serious and diverse, ranging from negligence and misdiagnosis due to skin color to obstacles in accessing services and verbal abuse. It is also alarming that the Unified Health System (SUS in Brazilian Portuguese), which should be universal and egalitarian, is among the institutions where racism is still present, weakening equity and making the access to public health services for the Black population difficult, a failure to comply to the commitment made by the National Policy for Integral Health of the Black Population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, Afro-centered medicine <\/strong>emerges as a movement that seeks to redefine medical and psychological care, incorporating the specific well-being needs of Black people in different areas. These are initiatives in the health field led by Black professionals who propose humanized, welcoming care that is coherent with Afrocentricity: the perspective of the African subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this news report, the Journal of the University <\/strong>demonstrates how therapies based on ancestral African knowledge have contributed to alleviate and treat the consequences of racism on the physical and mental health of Black people, including the spiritual dimension. We also attempt to portray the problems faced in medical care and services, as well as recent initiatives at UFRGS to promote the humanization (and decolonization) of medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afrocentric therapies to combat racism and whiteness in healthcare<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Brazilian society tends to bleach, erase or attack anything Afro-Brazilian due to slavery, which lasted nearly four centuries and whose objectifying, eugenicist behavior towards Black people has persisted. Black women and men still suffer from marginalization in the job market, universities, and other social sectors \u2013 and health is one of the cruelest faces of prejudice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first difficulty for many people in the healthcare and the scientific community is to understand and admit that racism is a fact, denying this real and institutionalized problem in society, which maintains the understanding that white people are superior,” explains Liziane Guedes, a psychologist and member of Adinkra, an Afrocentric psychology and mental health collective in Porto Alegre. She is also one of the coordinators of Sa\u00fade Preta (a project that promotes health services with a team composed entirely of Black professionals) and is a co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Black Star Space (IEP in Brazilian Portuguese).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the psychologist, racism facilitates the emergence of certain diseases, such as depression, diabetes, eating disorders, and high blood pressure \u2013 these are products of the invisible violence that pervades medical care. \u201cBlack people stop seeking health services because they are dehumanized. Therefore, they postpone a medical appointment as long as possible, often worsening their health condition,\u201d points out Liziane. For her, the well-being of Black people must be understood as integral and interdisciplinary, including body, mind, sexuality, and gender issues, always from the point of view of Afrocentricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201c[Afrocentricity] is an African perspective on the world, which humanizes contacts and creates bridges between people. These are articulations that include places of listening, training and guidance spaces so that Black people know how to access their <\/em>rights <\/em>instead of simply knowing how to evade violent interactions. <\/em>Our work should not be detached from reality\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nLiziane Guedes<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In a racist context where Afrocentricity stands out as a fundamental perspective in understanding and approaching mental health, the need to rethink conventional paradigms becomes evident. Proof of this can be found in Adinkra’s clinical services: \u201cThe psychiatry of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is Eurocentric and pathologizing, failing to account for the multiplicity of people. This view of the subject states that a trans person has a disorder. Afrocentric clinics listen, welcome, and suspend this norm\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Sa\u00fade Preta Instagram page, information from all the professionals who are part of the initiative is available. In this database, patients have access to name and registration number in the professional council and can select the specialist that best meets their needs and characteristics. Consultations can be in person or online, and contact with more than 130 active professionals can be made via the project’s Instagram page or WhatsApp group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sankofa: the Afro-affective methodology of M\u00e3e Preta<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Far from being an ephemeral contemporary trend, Afro-centered clinical psychology involves an ancestral philosophy, inspired by the rich Adinkra symbolism, which weaves an intricate web of ideas committed to the preservation and transmission of African values. At the heart of this approach is the sankofa<\/em>, represented mainly as a mythical bird that flies forward, has its head turned back and carries in its beak an egg, the future. In essence, sankofa<\/em> suggests the importance of \u201clooking at the past (learning from mistakes), reinterpreting the present and building the future\u201d, representing the resistance and culture of the Afro people.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Represented by a bird turning its head back towards its tail, the sankofa<\/em> symbolizes returning to the past to reinterpret the present and build the future (Source: Clipart)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

From a diasporic sankofa<\/em> perspective, Afrocentric psychology focuses on creating collective spaces of \u2018quilombamento\u2019, that is, of belonging, affection, acceptance, sharing of memories and cultural identity. In this therapeutic, cultural, and political space of individual and collective subjectivities, the goal is to integrate the mental, physical, and spiritual health of Black people and to respect the matriarchal and matrilinear principles intrinsic to African culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This transdisciplinary approach that unites matriarchy and ancestry translates into the Methodology of M\u00e3e Preta, as explained by the physiotherapist Edjana Deodoro, from the Ali\u00e1 Integrated Health Clinic. The clinic’s care methodology is based on the reference of ali\u00e1<\/em> (“elephant”), symbolizing the relationship with nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe elephant has a social structure similar to humans, as it is one of the few mammals that socially raises its cubs within the herd until adulthood. It organizes itself into a matriarchal animal society. It is always the oldest female elephant that makes the decisions and determines the direction of the herd. Thus, it symbolizes respect for our ancestry, especially matriarchy, as this relationship with the feminine is a strong characteristic of our culture.”<\/p>\nEdjana Deodoro<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ali\u00e1 Integrated Health Clinic was founded by Edjana’s aunts, one of whom is Isabel Const\u00e2ncia dos Santos, a 75-year-old woman who was the first Black pediatrician in Rio Grande do Sul. The clinic is now in its fourth generation of patients, serving up to 500 people per month in the specialties of psychology, pediatrics, physiotherapy, nutrition, and speech therapy. Edjana explains that the M\u00e3e Preta method is primarily based on the family relationship with patients, who are treated holistically. In other words, the specialties are not separated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have spent a period of observation, especially with my aunt Isabel. She offers affectionate care and attentive listening in transdisciplinary work that involves the transversal method \u2013 where the doctor is not hierarchically superior or has more authority than the psychologist or any other health care professional. She has always sought this way of working with people in an integral way, understanding their body, mind, and spirit. There is also a spiritual dimension, not exactly religious, but our service takes this into account, because spiritual distress can also make a person ill,\u201d adds Edjana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the service goes beyond the physical body. \u201cThere is a lot lacking in the health sector to take care of this spiritual aspect in a broad way. The Black Mother Methodology, inherited from Aunt Isabel, brings this care that Black women have always had, since before the diaspora, including in Brazil, with enslaved women who took care of the health of their masters and of the health of their masters\u2019 slaves alike. We bring this into our DNA naturally,\u201d comments Edjana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, the M\u00e3e Preta Methodology is afro-affective. \u201cOf course, there are ethical and professional issues, but these 50 years of Dr. Isabel’s work give us the certainty that health treatment is much more effective when we can develop this affective methodology, especially in creating bonds between the elderly and children. People show significant improvements in both adherence and self-care,\u201d she points out.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Psychologist Jennifer Cereja, physiotherapist Ver\u00f4nica Santos and pediatrician Isabel Const\u00e2ncia dos Santos work at Cl\u00ednica Ali\u00e1 using the Black Mother Methodology (Photo: Marcelo Pires\/JU)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Such approach aligns with that of Babalorix\u00e1 B\u00e1b\u00e0 Diba de Iyemonj\u00e0, religious name of Valmir Ferreira Martins, from the Ile \u00c0s\u00e9 Yemonj\u00e1 Omi Ol\u00f2d\u00f3 Terreiro Community. B\u00e1b\u00e0 Diba also serves as president of the Council of the People of Terreiro in the state of Rio Grande do Sul and national coordinator of Renafro \u2013 the National Network of Afro-Brazilian Religions and Health. Additionally, he is a public health specialist from UFRGS and one of the founders of Africanamente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the babalorix\u00e1<\/em>, health encompasses mind, emotion, and the mystical dimension. \u201cMedicine does not properly engage with us; it tries to dilute who we are by compartmentalizing the body. It’s the eye, the heart, and when they can’t understand what’s happening with the patient, he\/she is sent to psychiatry and filled with synthetic drugs without taking care of the Or\u00ed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word \u201cOr\u00ed\u201d is widely used in African-based religions in Brazil, especially among Candombl\u00e9 and Yorub\u00e1 descendants. It refers to the individual spiritual essence of each person and is considered a divinity because, in general terms, it represents the mind, the creation of thoughts, the understanding of everything; it is the manifestation of the cognitive and spiritual capacity that defines each human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the public health service is still based on the ideology of scientific whitening, and B\u00e1b\u00e0 Diba points out several barriers of prejudice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe can’t enter a public hospital wearing our religious attire. If a Black patient in hospital asks to see their spiritual leader, they are denied, while priests or pastors would have been admitted. We also have dietary restrictions that are not respected, such as rice and chicken, which can only be consumed within the ritual context or else the person will get sick. Black women suffer the most during childbirth in Brazil. In the terreiro, we make a band to be placed around the pregnant woman’s belly. She arrives at the public hospital and they remove it. This is religious racism.”<\/p>\nB\u00e1b\u00e0 Diba de Iyemonj\u00e0<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He recounts experiencing such hostility firsthand. Once, he sought care at the Vila Cruzeiro health post in Porto Alegre to treat some skin rashes. \u201cI lifted my shirt (to show the lesions) to the doctor, and he jumped back. Then, to examine my skin, he used his pen to push the drapes away. This is institutional and religious racism,\u201d he points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The babalorix\u00e1<\/em> makes it clear that the therapies used in terreiros<\/em> do not conflict with medicine. \u201cWe do not claim to cure. Terreiro<\/em> practices offer therapeutic care such as baths, teas, eb\u00f3s<\/em>, things that the earth provides, treating the person as a whole. But, for example, if someone has a heart condition, they need to take their medication. We do what the orix\u00e1<\/em> commands, because many people become mentally ill due to social causes, problems at work, in the family, or in relationships\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancestry, emotional bond, and the value of time in medical consultations<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Black population has historically had difficulty accessing health services. But anyone who thinks it’s just due to financial difficulties is mistaken. According to Edjana, it is a cultural issue. She states that the Black population accesses emergency services more than prevention and treatment ones, that is, when the condition has already got worsened \u2013 all to avoid prejudice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important factor is that white professionals do not always understand the health specificities of Black people. In Afro-centered therapies, the person meets Black professionals, which, according to the physiotherapist at Ali\u00e1, generates more engagement, resulting in a more compliant continuity of treatment. She cites psychotherapy as an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How many times does a Black person start therapy with a psychologist and doesn’t feel understood? Because the professional, often a white person, doesn’t feel the same way about racial issues. The client ends up dropping out of treatment because the therapist isn’t understanding their pain. It’s a factor that limits continuity and leads people to seek services only in emergencies,” explains Edjana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like B\u00e1b\u00e0 Diba, she also highlights food issues seen from a white perspective. In some African religions, certain foods are not allowed. \u201cFor example, in some traditions, people cannot eat peanuts. It is common for nutritionists to go on a calorie-restricted diet, removing carbohydrates and, instead of wheat flour, they prescribe peanut flour. The patient is embarrassed to say he can\u2019t.\u201d According to Edjana, this situation is just an example among others that are not so blatant, but that end up being racism within the health sector, because they are subtle issues linked to the culture itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the transdisciplinary methodology of Afro-perspective therapies, care is connected both to culture and across specialties: \u201cIn a Black family, the eldest woman is usually in charge. For example, we had a case where a grandmother was feeding her grandson and had difficulty understanding a salt intake issue. We know the importance of respecting ancestry for the family, of having this presence of the grandmother in raising a child. So, we involved the pediatrician, the nutritionist, she was already a physiotherapy patient, the grandson was a pediatrician patient, we worked with the whole family in an integrated way to achieve the result we needed with this child,\u201d says Edjana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means working with the whole family in various specialties, with an emotional bond between patient and health care professional (HCP) and, above all, spending enough time with each patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe have a proverb that says: \u2018Black people don\u2019t have a watch, they have time\u2019. The clock time is different, it is not a 20-minute consultation, but the time the patient needs. And this results in health, in adherence to treatment, as it is more appropriate and efficient for that person\u201d<\/p>\nEdjana Deodoro<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Developing the emotional bond between HCP and patient requires attentive listening and longer consultation time (Photo: Marcelo Pires\/JU)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPatients avoid going to medical consultation even when they feel sick\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

When looking at ethnoracial issues from a white perspective, it is important to be cautious. Retired professor of Medicine at UFRGS and Doctor in Education Odalci Pustai used to work as a doctor in rural communities, indigenous lands, Landless Workers’ Movement encampments, and peripheral communities of Viam\u00e3o and Porto Alegre. In addition to already knowing the concepts of Primary Health Care and the specialty of Family and Community Medicine, he affirms that he has learned a lot from all the diversity of these populations. Even so, he underlines his positionality: \u201cI am a white doctor, so I cannot speak about the specific suffering of people who are victims of prejudice, discrimination, and racism for being Black, no matter how much empathy and training I have to put myself in the other person’s place\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Pustai was one of those involved in the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS), which enshrined in Law 8080\/90 (Article VII) the ‘equality of healthcare, without prejudice or privileges of any kind’. It is from this discursive position that the doctor criticizes the SUS, recognizing the existence of a prejudiced structure in care, distancing the letter of the law from the day-to-day bare facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Black population faces discrimination in health services in Brazil. This reality is widely proved by countless scientific research reports, some of which have been conducted by UFRGS professors,\u201d he highlights. The issue that needs to be examined more deeply, he points out, are the cases of patients who suffer racism, prejudice, and discrimination in the SUS, which serves the majority of the Brazilian population. \u201cFrom a legal perspective, racial discrimination is clearly characterized as a crime and therefore should not occur, but we know that it still persists, which demonstrates that strict application of the law does not solve the problem alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the traumas and discomforts experienced during consultations, there is also the problem of negligence regarding specific diseases affecting Black people. Pustai mentions several attitudes that victimize patients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cA prejudiced professional won\u2019t even be interested in diseases specific to Black people; neglects history taking and physical examination; pays less attention to what the patient says; requests fewer necessary tests; makes fewer referrals to specialists; consultations take less time. All of this negatively impacts the self-esteem of black people. Patients avoid going to appointments even when they feel sick\u201d<\/p>\nOdalci Pustai<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Given this situation, Pustai argues that there is a solid foundation for seeking alternatives that guarantee Black patients are admitted without the risk of suffering prejudice. \u201cThere is a huge legitimacy in the search for health services where patients feel welcomed, without the risk of suffering prejudice for being Black. Thus, if we consider that this is a legitimate demand, it is natural that Black professionals can offer services to enter this market, remembering that in Brazil there is full legal freedom for the practice of private medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the solution to racism in healthcare goes beyond the possibilities of the private health market: for Pustai, the solution is complex and requires a broad and deep debate, with a joint effort from society and authorities. According to him, in the context of the discussion of public health policies, \u201cit is challenging to enable alternatives that adequately serve a specific population group victim of discrimination without also considering other groups that face similar problems, such as the LGBTQIA+ community, indigenous peoples and others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perspectives for a more equitable health at the UFRGS School of Medicine<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Despite the burden of a legacy of racial discrimination, is it possible to make healthcare more equitable? Perhaps there have already been advances in this direction. In 2021, UFRGS created the course “Education for Ethnic-Racial Relations and Health of Neglected Populations”, with the goal of more centrally building the perception of ethnic-racial problems in future doctors. The initiative is in accordance with a 2014 Ministry of Education (MEC) ordinance, according to which medical training must include ethical and humanistic perspectives and that ethnic-racial diversity must be considered in the day-to-day medical practice in primary care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, from the beginning of their undergraduate training at the UFRGS Faculty of Medicine (FAMED), students participate in activities aimed at primary health care, concentrated mainly in Basic Health Units. Students’ direct exposure to health issues specific to the population served in these BH Units \u2013 mostly black and brown people of low-income \u2013is integrated into the academic curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The director of FAMED, L\u00facia Maria Kliemann, highlights that clinical contact does not yet occur in a formal and structured way, \u201cbut, as a large part of the population treated in our outpatient clinics is Black, medical students certainly have consistent exposure to this population, what generates a more specific study aimed at the most prevalent diseases\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the educational initiatives for future medical professionals, FAMED has also incorporated the mandatory discipline “Health and Society”, taught from the 7th semester onwards, in which students expand their understanding of the concepts of body, health, and disease of different cultures from the perspective of Medical Anthropology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Respecting individuals, regardless of their identity, is crucial to medical education. We hope to foster this attitude by example, showing that for doctors and any other health professional, this is at the very least fundamental. We must respect religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and, obviously, different skin colors\u201d<\/p>\nLucia Maria Kliemann<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another educational process, still under construction, takes place through the optional subject \u201cEducation for Ethnic-Racial Relations and Health of Neglected Populations \u2013 ERER\u201d, in which students carry out field work to qualify their experiences. In the activity, students visit health services to reflect on humanization and experience situations that provide learning about different realities, confronting their prejudices and conceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents have shared their experiences with us, and the identification of discriminatory attitudes has motivated a campaign, created by the FAMED\u2019s Administration, for the education of civil servants, teachers, students, and technicians, in order to show the perception of non-white, non-heterosexual and non-Gauchos students of the discrimination they suffer\u201d, maintains Kliemann. In addition to these actions, the professor adds that FAMED has supported, encouraged, and participated in initiatives linked to the Black Movement through the development of courses, booklets, and guidelines for the health of the Black population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actions to promote diversity and inclusion in healthcare in Rio Grande do Sul<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Rio Grande do Sul State Health Department (SES\/RS in Brazilian Portuguese) acknowledges the significant challenges in promoting racial equity in health and, through its communications team, reports that it is adopting several measures to address them. The main one is to implement the National Policy for Integral Health of the Black Population (PNSIPN in Brazilian Portuguese) and to qualify the race\/color item in health information systems. SES\/RS also states that it is working to integrate the care for the health of the Black population into the State Health Plan, Annual Operational Plans and Management Reports. In addition, it transfers financial resources to municipalities through the State Incentive Program for Primary Health Care (PIAPS in Brazilian Portuguese).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure equitable and non-discriminatory healthcare, the SES\/RS, through its Department of Primary Care and Health Policies (DAPPS in Brazilian Portuguese), implements strategies aligned with the PNSIPN. Notably, the creation of the Technical Committee for the Health of the Black Population and the approval of the State Policy for the Promotion of Health Equity stand out. PIAPS includes component III, which promotes health equity and addresses prejudice, discrimination, and racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SES\/RS states that it also adopts specific policies to address the health problems of the Black population, such as the PNSIPN and the work of the Technical Area for the Health of the Black Population (ATSPN DAPPS in Brazilian Portuguese). The Technical Committee and the State Council for Participation and Development of the Black Community (CODENE DAPPS in Brazilian Portuguese) play relevant roles in this context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To raise awareness among health professionals, SES\/RS emphasizes that it provides guidance and training, with an emphasis on PNSIPN. PIAPS also contributes by encouraging actions to promote health equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the ministry emphasizes that it promotes diversity and inclusion in the workforce through affirmative actions, such as vacancy reservations and specific policies for black, indigenous people, trans people and people with disabilities. The Intersectoral Affirmative Action Center supports the implementation of these policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To monitor reports of racial discrimination in health facilities, SES\/RS reports that it has an established flow defined by Ordinance 1079\/2018, involving the Public Servants’ Health Program of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (PROSER in Brazilian Portuguese), the SUS Ombudsman, and the Legal Advisory. The Ombudsman is responsible for receiving and forwarding complaints, while PROSER investigates cases with evidence of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics and behaviors that reveal persistent racism in the medical environment<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Suppose you are a Black pregnant woman and you are experiencing severe labor pain, you go to a doctor’s appointment and the person who assists you dispenses any anesthesia or medication, saying that you are more resistant to pain than someone who is white. As much as it may seem like a \u201ccompliment\u201d, this is racism. Saying that Black people are \u201cmore resistant to pain\u201d is obstetric violence and is among countless expressions of racism in health that are still the reality of many Black people in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes racial violence also comes from patients. Black medical professionals are underestimated: \u201cAre you really a doctor?\u201d After all, in the Eurocentric social imaginary, the doctor is white. According to the AzMina Institute, a non-profit organization that fights for gender equality, racism in medical care is demonstrated by verbal aggression, microaggressions (\u201cjokes\u201d), sexual harassment, obstetric violence, refusal of anesthesia, failure to listen to complaints, mistaken and\/or late diagnosis, in addition to eugenicist statements, which presuppose the existence of race determining health issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2021 data collection by the AzMina Institute involving 100 non-white women showed that the specialties with the highest reported occurrences were gynecology (43 cases), internal medicine (40), dermatology (19), and obstetrics (10). Over 82% of respondents were non-white women: 60.6% Black, 19.2% Brown, and 3% Indigenous. Of these, almost 68% stated that they had already experienced racism during medical care, and just over 16% said they “maybe” had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Racism can also lead to death by suicide. Racial humiliation has harmful impacts that significantly gets in the way of people\u2019s healthy psychological and psychosocial responses, reflecting contexts of vulnerability expressed in health inequities. In 2016, for every ten adolescent suicides, six were of young Black people. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of deaths increased from 53.3% (2012) to 55.4% (2016). Some factors also increase the risk of suicide among adolescents and young person – feelings of exclusion, of not belonging, and lack of acceptance \u2013 by family, and\/or friends \u2013 and of self-acceptance. In adolescents, the main determinants of suicide are: parental indifference\/omission regarding their actions, family violence, cyberbullying, and bullying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Policy for Integral Health of the Black Population, from the Ministry of Health, institutional or structural racism “is any form of racism that occurs specifically within institutions such as government agencies, public institutions, companies, corporations, and universities. This practice includes specific social attitudes inherent to racial prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes, omission, disrespect, distrust, devaluation, and dehumanization. These are practices that consolidate institutional racism [\u2026], affecting collective social spaces, such as government instances”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given these findings and statistics, it is impossible to ignore the toxicity of persistent racism in healthcare for Black people in Brazil. However, humanized practices such as Afrocentric medicine, among other public and private initiatives, seem to point to a path \u2013 albeit long and difficult \u2013 towards a more inclusive and equitable future in healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated into English by Gabriela Lima Dion\u00edsio, undergraduate student enrolled in the course \u201cSupervised Translation Training II (English)\u201d of the Undergraduate Program in Language and Literature, under the supervision and translation revision of Professor Elizamari R. Becker (P.h.D.) \u2013 IL\/UFRGS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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