Globally, the interplay of race and language has garnered much attention. These topics remain at the center of vigorous academic debates on the persistent effects of colonialism, imperialism, and modern-day oppressive systems deeply rooted in the legacy of slavery. Brazil, with a majority Black population, is no exception to the consequences of centuries of racial injustices born out of the enslavement of Africans and the genocide of Indigenous people. 

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Brazil, self-defined as a racial democracy, holds fast to the ideology that it is a society free of racism, citing high social interaction and cultural unification as proof. Despite these claims, Brazilian census data and other national surveys reveal profound race-based disparities across all social indexes-housing, education, employment, healthcare, and life expectancy. Nowhere is this inequity more evident than in Brazil's educational systems.

 

This article explores how the lack of academic rigor in primary and secondary public school programs has led to a glaring absence of Black Brazilians as students, teachers, and language professionals in English language studies across Brazil. I further examine the myriad of ways in which Black Brazilians not only lack the preparation but also the confidence to see themselves as capable learners of English. I argue that the English language material today is marked by a discourse of colonization and white supremacy, further making it difficult for Black Brazilians to connect with the new language. I conclude that Afro-Brazilians need language programs that decolonize the pedagogy, embody and teach their history, culture, and real-world experiences, and lower the affective filter to invite a positive learning experience.