QUOTAS FOR BLACK PEOPLE AS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PUBLIC POLICY IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON: SOME PROBLEMS

Abstract

With a view to reducing social, educational and economic inequalities in the Brazilian scenario, Federal Law Nº 12,711 of August 29, 2012, known as the Quota Law, consists of a public affirmative action policy that guarantees the reservation of vacancies for socially marginalized groups to federal universities and institutes. However, despite this guarantee of admission, the problem arises when one realizes that little is known about the trajectory of these quota students after joining the school institutions. As the legislation deals primarily with access, in some cases school institutions fail to monitor these students during their academic career. Driven by this problem, this study highlights the trajectory of black racial quota holders in a school institution located in Rondônia, northern Brazil, which makes up the Brazilian Legal Amazon. The research is based on figures on the specific success of black racial quota holders in the Higher Course of Technology in Public Management, compared with those of the other students of that same course from 2013 to 2016.1. This information prompted reflection and discussion about racial quotas in the Amazon context as a factor that aims to promote social equality. The text mobilizes some voices echoed in interviews with six racial quota students and brings reflections in the light of theorists linked to the theme. Despite the positive result of the research by the finding that black racial quota holders achieve more school success than other students, it points to the need for the work with diversity to be improved and focused on anti-racist education, in order to contribute to the success and well-being of these students in the institution and to reduce the racial inequalities present in Brazilian society.