[White Supremacy is a Global System] 'It’s a Black Thing’: Quip by News Anchor Now is a Rallying Cry in Brazil

From [NyTimes] Black Brazilians have reappropriated an insulting quip by a prominent television anchorman, using his words — “It’s a black thing” — to draw attention to contributions of Brazilians of African ancestry and to the lingering impact of racial subjugation in Brazil.

The quip was made in a video that was recorded last year but that only surfaced this week in Brazil.

In the video, William Waack, an anchorman for Brazil’s largest television network, Globo, was preparing for a live shot with a guest, with the White House in the background, while covering the presidential campaign in the United States.

In response to loud honking from a nearby car, Mr. Waack said to his guest, “It’s a black thing. No doubt,” and laughed about it with his guest.

Reaction on social media was swift and indignant after the video started to circulate.

By Wednesday evening, #ÉCoisaDePreto — Portuguese for “It’s a black thing” — was one of the top trending topics on Twitter in Brazil.

Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, in 1888. Over three centuries, some four million Africans were brought here and forced to work in fields, mines and private homes.

Brazil is a country where the life expectancy of black men is considerably lower than for their white counterparts, and where people of African descent earn 36 percent less than nonblack Brazilians.

The Ny Times writes, "in recent years, Globo and other television networks have used their powerful positions to combat racism with more prominent roles for black Brazilians on soap operas and reality TV shows." [translation showcase Blacks are in heavy rotation on television to minimize the effects of white supremacy -sound familiar?]