PL 80/2024 was influenced by the #RespeitaMeuCapelo movement and aims to increase inclusion in education
Councilor Marta Rodrigues (PT) presented the bill (80/2024) at the Salvador City Council, which ensures that educational institutions in the capital of Bahia make use of graduation hats (capelos) that suit afro, curly hair , frizzy and voluminous at municipal school ceremonies.
As an inclusive step in the area of education, the proposal aims to collaborate in the fight against racism as it helps to empower students in the municipal school who have afro hair and who do not feel represented by the traditional accessory, as they find it difficult to fit in. them in the head.
According to the councilor, the expectation is that the project will gain support and be expanded to state and federal levels. “It is necessary to understand that these accessories are manufactured on a large scale in a traditional model without considering the majority population of our city and our country, which is black. The mortarboards have symbolism for students, as they are part of a rite of passage. It is It’s embarrassing to know that many young people are left with this accessory in their hands, at an important moment in their lives, because it wasn’t made with them in mind”, comments Marta Rodrigues. Salvador is the capital with the largest black population outside of Africa, accounting for 83.2% of individuals who declare themselves black or mixed race, according to the 2022 census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
The bill is inspired by the #RespeitaMeuCapelo movement, created by the GUT São Paulo agency for Vult and developed by Dendezeiro. The partnership estimates producing 1,000 units for graduations scheduled in the second semester at the Federal University of Southern Bahia and Zumbi dos Palmares, in São Paulo.
The movement was launched with a mini-documentary, with the participation of Professor Dr. Joana Angélica, the first black dean of a university in Brazil, and with former university students recreating their graduation photos as they should have happened – with mortarboards that cater to diversity of Brazilian hair. The campaign gained wide media coverage, generating organic reach of over 7.7 million people, through the press and social networks.
The bill has already been published in the Official Gazette of the Chamber of Salvador and remains in progress until a vote in the plenary of the House. If approved by councilors, the proposal will go to the mayor for sanction or veto.
