On October 15, as part of her schedule of public debates as a professor at NYU, Djamila Ribeiro hosted Selma Dealdina, organizer of ‘Mulheres Quilombolas’ (Quilombola Women), and Alessandra Devulsky, author of ‘Colorismo‘ (Colorism), published under the Feminismos Plurais Collection, at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center (KJCC) for the event ‘Voices of Resistance: a Dialogue on Quilombola Identity, Colorism and Feminism’.

On Instagram, the Brazilian philosopher highlighted the event’s significance for the global dialogue on racism.

“It is very important to have black Brazilian intellectuals, with first and last name, bringing sophisticated reflections and practices from Brazil to the North.”

Djamila emphasized the dedication of Devulsky and Dealdina to issues that, despite their specificity, transcend physical borders.

“It was a very special night at New York University, Selma Dealdina and Alessandra Devulsky shone and brought Brazil’s perspectives to the center of the debate. The fundamental discussion about quilombola communities, environmental racism and the role of women was presented brilliantly by Selma, what a class! Alessandra’s genius on the essential debate of colorism and racism enchanted everyone,” Djamila celebrated, also acknowledging the massive audience turnout and the efforts of NYU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU and the Espacio de Culturas KJCC in organizing the event.

“Gratitude to the entire team at Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies  e Espacio de Culturas KJCC for organizing the event and to all the people who filled the auditorium. Such a historical night!”

About Selma Dealdina and Alessandra Devulsky

Selma dos Santos Dealdina is a quilombola woman from Angelim III, Sapê do Norte Territory, in Espírito Santo. She is active in various civil society organizations dedicated to the quilombola and broader anti-racist struggle, such as the Black Coalition for Rights, the State Coordination of Quilombola Communities of Espírito Santo (Zacimba Gaba), and the Women’s Collective of the National Coordination of Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities (Conaq), where she currently serves as Executive Secretary. She is the organizer of Mulheres Quilombolas: Territórios de Resistências Negras Femininas, published by Jandaíra under the Sueli Carneiro label.

Alessandra Devulsky da Silva Tisescu hails from the state of Mato Grosso. A lawyer, activist, and writer, she teaches at the University of Quebec in the Law and Society program at the Faculty of Law; she is also the legal director of the Luiz Gama Institute and the general director of the Community Development Corporation of Côtes-des-Neiges in Montréal. Her work Colorismo, published by Jandaíra, is the ninth release of the Feminismos Plurais Collection, coordinated by Djamila Ribeiro. Recently, Alessandra was unanimously elected as an independent expert to the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council.