Brazilian President Wants To Reserve 20 Percent Of Government Jobs For Blacks

BRASILIA, Brazil -- BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's president says she'll ask congress to pass legislation to reserve 20 percent of the nation's government jobs for blacks.
About half of Brazil's 204 million people are black — more than in any nation except Nigeria.
Blacks face persistent socio-economic inequality in Brazil, and President Dilma Rousseff says her proposal will help reverse that. She says "affirmative action is essential" for creating equal opportunities.
There is no word on when congress might begin debating the proposal.
Rousseff also said Tuesday that by the end of next year, her government will have sent a doctor to each of Brazil's more than 3,500 "quilombos." Those are settlements founded by descendants of Brazil's slaves.
Brazil had more African slaves land on its shores than any other country in the Americas.

The Haves and the Have-Nots

In 1776, the independence of the United States foreshadowed what would occur later on from Mexico south.
To remove any doubts about the place of the Indians in the new nation, George Washington proposed "the total destruction and devastation of their settlements." Thomas Jefferson voiced the opinion that "this unfortunate race has justified its extermination." And Benjamin Franklin suggested that rum could be the "appointed means" to get rid of the savages.
To remove any doubts about the place of women, the Constitution of the State of New York added the adjective "masculine" to the right to vote.
To remove any doubts about the place of poor whites, the signatories to the Declaration of Independence were all rich whites.
And to remove any doubts about the place of blacks in the newborn nation, six-hundred and fifty thousand slaves remained enslaved. Black hands built the White House.  

And now, over 300 years later, a Black man and his family, live there.