Posthumous tribute to Professor Paulo Vinícius Baptista, founder of the Affirmative Action program at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR)

El CLACSO Working Group on Afro-descendants and counter-hegemonic proposals And the Association of Black Researchers of Latin America and the Caribbean pays posthumous tribute to one of its most beloved and respected members: Professor Paulo Vinícius Baptista, founder of the Affirmative Action program at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and currently superintendent of Affirmative Inclusion Policies at UFPR.

With great sadness, we bid farewell today to our colleague Pablo Vinicius da Silva, who suddenly left our lives. Pablo was a teacher in the deepest sense of the word. He was a tireless anti-racist fighter who built bridges with academics, activists, and intellectuals from Latin America and the Caribbean, and his role was central to promoting the anti-racist struggle within the Brazilian educational field.

We will remember him for his profound commitment to building an equal, just, and compassionate society. Pablo was a fair, humanitarian, generous, supportive, and critical thinker of our time. To you, comrade, we express our gratitude for what you contributed to our lives, for your teachings, and for the knowledge that so greatly helped to cultivate a Black consciousness in your students. Thank you for your contributions to the development of Afro-diasporic thought and for your unwavering commitment to the most vulnerable.

Your struggle and your legacy will always live on among us. Let us honor your memory by never giving up in the face of injustice, just as you taught us. We echo the words of the Black poet Lucille Clifton to tell you: “We thank you for what we were with you and for what we will be, with all that you gave us.”

November 1th 2024
CLACSO Working Group
Afro-descendants and counter-hegemonic proposals

This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.