“Don’t trivialize it. Don’t hesitate”—an Interview with Sueli Carneiro by the Carolina Maria de Jesus Black Collective

Abstract

In 2022, the Carolina Maria de Jesus Black Collective (CNCMJ) of the USP Faculty of Public Health interviewed philosopher and activist Sueli Carneiro, concluding its Black October events cycle. Sueli, who holds a Ph.D. in education from USP and is the founder of Geledés—Instituto da Mulher Negra (Geledés—Institute of Black Women), shared her experiences in the black movement, feminism, and academia, emphasizing the need for collective organization to con-front epistemicide. Revisiting the historical context of the emergence of black feminism in Bra-zil, she highlighted the centrality of figure of Lélia Gonzalez, as well as the importance of criticizing hegemonic white feminism. She warned about the risks of disjointed activism and defended the urgency of collective organization for political advan-cement. The philosopher also addressed epistemicide as a structural practice that denies black populations the status of subjects of knowledge, highlighting the impact of racial quotas on the transformation of the university space. In the field of health, she highlighted the relevance of black female researchers who have contributed to the debate on the health of the black popu-lation. The meeting reinforced the power of the CNCMJ (National Council of Black Women) in making black knowledge and struggles visible in the academic space and in Brazilian public health.