O bem dito, o mal dito e o não dito: as experiências de discriminação racial entre estudantes universitários

Abstract

Introduction: Racial discrimination is a phenomenon that is rooted in society, occurring in various spheres, including universities. Objective: To characterize the experiences of racial discrimination suffered by university students. Materials and methods: It is an exploratory, descriptive and cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach carried out from September to December 2023 with the participation of 751 university students from 5 higher education institutions in the state of Ceará. The instrument included sociodemographic data and the Experiences of Racial Discrimination Scale. Results: It is noteworthy in this study that the majority of participants are of the brown race, and it was the race that most declared to suffer racial discrimination and they are the students who most accept unfair racial treatment as a fact of life. Discussions: Historical racism in Brazil delayed the participation of black and brown students in universities, which only began to change significantly with the 2012 Quota Law. Despite this, differences between white and colored students persist, and the racism and discrimination that occurring during graduation negatively affects the mental health of these students. Conclusion: It is worth highlighting that it is important that the creation of a fair and equal environment for everyone and that the racial fight for equality and inclusion is a fight for everyone.