Schooling and black authorship to confront the delegitimization of the Afro-Brazilian population

Abstract

This text aims to outline a reflection on schooling and black authorship as elements of resistance, which play an important role in the struggle to reverse the devaluation suffered by people of African descent. The methodology used involved analysis of articles, primary sources, and texts by three Black authors from Maranhão, children of freed slaves, born in the nineteenth century: Maria Firmina dos Reis (1822-1917), José Nascimento Moraes (1882-1958) and Raul Astolfo Marques (1876-1918). They stood out in public service, teaching and/or journalism, and became spokespersons for the socially excluded black population, through literature. His biographies and writings about the life of the black population in the period of slavery and in the post-abolition period were observed. Therefore, we draw attention to the relevance of making known the biographies and literary works of black men and women, contributing to the construction of a more plural national memory, which can impact on the promotion of anti-racist education for the new generations.