Religious leaders seek commitments from candidates in Brazil
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In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaders from Afro-Brazilian religious communities presented a letter of commitment to Marina do MST and Anielle Franco, both candidates for political office.
The leaders asked the candidates to pledge support for these communities and to fight racism targeting their faiths. The signing ceremony took place at Quilombo da Gamboa, a settlement recently selected to receive housing funding through a government program, and gathered around 100 people.
Marina do MST, seeking re-election to the state legislature, stated the letter represents a jointly-created agenda that should guide her political work defending the rights of Afro-Brazilian communities. She described the document as a program for these communities in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Anielle Franco, a former Minister of Racial Equality running for federal deputy, emphasized the need to convert the commitments into concrete actions against religious racism and in defense of democracy.
She framed the discussion as a matter of national sovereignty and democratic principles. According to the 2022 census, 2.59% of people age 10 or older in the state of Rio de Janeiro identify as practitioners of Umbanda or Candomblé, the second highest percentage of any state in the country.
