Black movement, and the university: Academic Literacies practices for racial justice

Abstract

This research article aims to discuss the role of the Black university movement in the context of recent changes within Brazilian universities, using as a reference the actions carried out by the Centro de Convivência Negra (CCN), a group of Black students from a Brazilian public university. Grounded in an ethnographic perspective as a theoretical and methodological framework, this investigation draws on the concepts of belonging and transformative practices from Academic Literacies studies, as well
as the notion of the Black educator movement in the field of ethnic-racial relations. The methodology involved observing the CCN’s everyday activities, which generated the data analyzed: excerpts from interviews with one of the participants and a newsletter produced by the group. Contributing to the debate on inclusion and equity policies in higher education, the findings indicate that contemporary Black movements function as agents of racial justice, understood as a fundamental aspect of social justice across various domains, including education. Accordingly, the analyses suggest that the group under study seeks to foster a sense of academic belonging among Black students through literacy practices in academia, taking into account the diversity of their trajectories and identities.