We must be respected in our rights, as we serve voters and soldiers regardless of our color: black associations, rights and citizenship (The Floresta Aurora Cultural Charity Society, Porto Alegre, 19th century)

Abstract

Taking the notion of racialization as the daily political and identity management of ethnic-racial belongings, we intend to analyze black associativism, even in the slave period, through the Sociedade Beneficente Cultural Floresta Aurora. This entity was created in the city of Porto Alegre, capital of the province of São Pedro do Rio Grande do Sul, in 1872, and we do not know its members in detail yet. Therefore, the article aims to verticalize the study of this association by setting short trajectories of some of its promoters and, through a judicial document, speculate on the motivations of these young blacks to invest in this form of collective representation. By accessing justice asking for reparation for the offenses received, the Aurora Forest black musicians help us think through the agenda of their political and moral claims.

Keywords

• black associativism
• rights
• citizenship