What brings Brazil and the United States together when it comes to diversity? – Business season

How can Brazil and the United States work together to advance in the context of diversity and inclusion, especially in the most hidden and complex ethnic issues throughout the history of the two countries?

In addition to “George Floyd and Joao Alberto”, how did these countries realize the dilemma of diversity and act on it, and what can they do together to turn African-American history around? In particular, what about business relationships?

This is the background to a dinner hosted by US Ambassador to Brazil David Hodge to welcome US Deputy Trade Representative Jaime White. At the table was Matt Ciordia, Senior Consultant, Daniel L. Watson, US Trade Representative for the West, Courtney Smoders, US Assistant Trade Representative for Latin America and Louisa Aguirre, US State Department Economist.

Among the Brazilian leaders, I, Gestavo Giros CEO and Founder, PretaHub CEO and Fira Preta Founder Adriana Barbosa, CEO and EmpregueAfro Founder Patricia Santos, CEERT Founder Cida Bento, Division Adviser and Chair Marina Ganzarolli OAB-SP Commission And MeToo Brazil Founder, Ana Fondas, Social Entrepreneur, Rede Mulher Empreendedora and Founder of the Institute RME, Fernanda Caraballo, Director of Business Development at MasterCard, Ana Clara Azevedo, Relations Manager and Leading Chair of People & Change at KPMG Brazil.

At this meeting, according to the Amcham – American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil, in September 2021, trade relations between Brazil and the United States were able to bring in some essential things, such as reaching $ 49.6 billion. About 80% of Brazil’s exports are made to the United States alone. There are ongoing plans aimed at expanding Brazilian startups in the North American country.

In this context, how can one ensure that in a continental country like Brazil, 56% of the population is black and 29% of them are black women, and that business relationships include and include this area of ​​the population?

In addition, the appointment of Katanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of the United States is another topic. As a result, she became the first black woman to serve on the country’s Supreme Court for more than 230 years. In Brazil, on the other hand, Joachim Barbosa was the first and only black minister of the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF). Also, in the STF history from 1989 to 2016, there were 156 white men, 3 white women, one black man and zero black women.

Or, moreover, we are obsessed with public data on the LGBTQPIA + population. The Brazilian census, as Marina Conceroli points out, does not show us the total percentage of homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in Brazilian society.

Adriana Barbosa stressed that black people would always be left out if there was no concerted effort in support of racial segregation. After all, how many start-ups do we know of in Brazil that were founded by black entrepreneurs?

Finally, Patricia Santos, at times, we feel that American companies have a strong presence in the United States in terms of diversity and content, but this does not echo the way it should and should be done in Brazil. Therefore, American companies in the national region need to ensure that they reflect their performance for racial equality, for example, the presence of blacks in leadership.

The challenges in the North American country in general are similar to those in Brazil, especially when it comes to adding and evaluating diversity. Because of this, we can work together to understand where the key gaps in this exchange and dialogue are and to work together responsibly to change this situation, thus minimizing inequalities.

* Liliane Rocha is the CEO and founder of Gestão Kairós, an expert in sustainability and diversity, author of the book “How to be an Inclusive Leader” and the 101 best global diversity and inclusive leaders.