STRUCTURAL RACISM AND LEADERSHIP OMISSION IN BRAZILIAN CHURCHES BETWEEN THE DELEGITIMIZATION OF DENUNCIATION AND THE URGENCY OF ANTI-RACIST EDUCATION

Abstract

This article analyzes structural racism in Brazilian churches, highlighting leadership omission as a central element in the reproduction of racial inequalities. Drawing on the contributions of Silvio Almeida, Cida Bento, Frantz Fanon, and Martin Luther King Jr., it examines how the whiteness pact operates through the delegitimization of racism complaints—often labeled as “victimization”—and through the maintenance of individuals in leadership positions despite discriminatory practices. It argues that such institutional omission contributes to the silencing of Black believers and to the perpetuation of exclusionary structures. In contrast, the practice of Jesus Christ is revisited as an ethical reference for justice, equality, and inclusion. Anti-racist education is proposed as a fundamental strategy for institutional transformation and leadership accountability. The study concludes that confronting racism requires breaking with institutional omission, as an essential condition for the realization of a faith committed to human dignity.