The use of religion to validate ones’ political agenda in the United States has gone to extreme measures. Comparable to the use of the Catholic Church to coerce and marginalize minorities advances for independence in Latin America. Politicians and cohorts speaking from a position if they are the next Christ Almighty themselves. Let us not forget the implications religion had on imposing social injustice. A tool used by patriarchy to conform.
Benedita Da Silva: An Afro Brazilian Woman’s Story of Politics and Love portrays a personal and political account from Benedita da Silva, an Afro-Brazilian woman who emerged as an influential player in Brazilian politics. This work shares glimpses of her life, challenges, and accomplishments, mirroring wider issues of race, gender, politics, and social inequality in Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Benedita was raised in an environment of poverty and exclusion, which helped to influence her perspective on social matters like race and class. She depicts a point-of-view any decent politician should aim to emulate.
As Benedita da Silva explained how the role of the church and politics tend to collide and be misappropriated. Political corruption in Latin America worsened economic inequality and poverty by misappropriating public funds intended for social programs, education, healthcare, and infrastructure for private benefit. Furthermore it led to the obstruction of poverty alleviation initiatives, as political elites and criminal organizations often operated to maintain power and wealth. Which can be used to provide insight on the sustained cycle of underdevelopment seen in the early years in Latin America, after individual countries fought for independence.
A main implication of the use of the church in regards to its involvement in politics is that it often marginalized minorities, the female gender and individuals with lower economic and/or social status. Seemingly through the Catholic Church and certain Protestant movements, which have historically played a pivotal role in reinforcing the status quo.
In which hinders socio-political reforms and contributes to inequality and instability. At the time the Catholic Church’s strong ties to political leaders restricted its ability to serve as a progressive influence in combating corruption. Although the Church has undertaken initiatives such as Liberation Theology, these have frequently been stifled or taken over by political elites. Benedita de Silva notably advocated against the church as an influential tool in swaying the masses to the right, or at least its intersectionality with politics.
Despite being a Christian with liberation theology, “which preached that the church should work with the poor to better their lives”, she ironically joined the Catholic Church. (Silva, 1997) She explained the differences in the ideologies between her division, the progressive wing of the church and the Catholic Church. Stating that her political views regardless of her religious stance aligned more with liberation theology. Although this led to her being further marginalized within an already marginalized state. It helped her implore the many contributions she could make to the community regardless of religion. As she later left the Catholic Church to join the Evangelical Church, another conservative type religion. Faced with challenges that not only morally did not sit right but went against what she was advocating for.
Church leaders have occasionally endorsed military dictatorships or authoritarian governments, as seen in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil during the Cold War, offering political justification for oppressive actions. In reference to the corruption often tied in with the intersectionality between the church and politics in Latin America, Benedita de Silva embodies the essence of an ideal government official or political candidate. Benedita shames her colleagues and political elites for claims of being Christian while they commit unjust crimes against working class communities and the impoverished. As she referred to biblical text instead of ideologies of perspective religions when advocating for social justice and empowering the marginalized class. Despite the strength of the conservative powers from both the Catholic and Evangelical Church, she remained headstrong. Claimed that her political independence was as important as conforming to her religious obligations. Which would allow her to continue her strides for battling against the military’s repressive powers and the government’s oppression of the people. The success seen in her political career can be attributed to her unbiased stance of religion as a tool for positive revolutionary ideas and not as a means for repression and obedience.
Due to her upbringing as an Afro-Brazilian female in Latin America, she faced both gender and racial discrimination. A challenge that gave way to her activism and political views. The inflictions Benedita experienced at an early age certainly provided a preparedness for her future endeavors within a predominantly White political establishment. She was able to make a name for herself through herself as Black women in Brazil. Even after forceful withdrawal from the Evangelical Church for her second marriage, Benedita used it as fuel for emphasizing the emotional and human dimensions of political life. Her activism was firmly based on a dedication to social justice, particularly aimed at enhancing the quality of life for Brazil’s underprivileged Black and working-class populations. The narrative of Benedita da Silva’s life may serve as a framework to explore wider topics of race, gender, and class within society.
Benedita da Silva seemed to have relied on her experiences as a Afro-Brazilian to advocate against the disparities faced in Afro-Brazilian religions and communities by the Catholic Church, and their unjustified measures to maintain racial and gender hierarchies. Her views were simplistic but evocative. Quite frankly her viewpoint was solely the result of her religious faith and experiences as a Black woman in Brazil. Still impactful as it questions the morality of these so called political elites who deem themselves “Christians”. As well as those of the general population who support their ideologies and the socio-political. She states “Forget about communism and socialism. Let’s talk about helping our brethren. Let’s look at agrarian reform as a Biblical mandate.” (Silva, 1997) Not only does she actively provide assistance in impoverished Black and working-class communities through her progressive wing in the Church, but she portrays the utilization of Biblical proverbs in her political stances. Benedita also states that the utilization of religion on her end is to be conveyed without any bias. Exclusively a tool for perspective on a given issue and instrument for judging character.
The text of Benedita da Silva’s political and social life reflects on her experiences as a marginalized woman of African descent in Brazil. A clear portrayal of a deeply hierarchical society, where politics, race, and religion were often intertwined in ways that reinforced the systems of corruption and inequality in Latin America at the time. The challenges she faced on her way to the top shaped her political outlook and established her framework for efforts against social injustice. Her strong religious and spiritual faith protected her from coercion at the political level. Conveying a strong sense of leadership qualities and nobility given her “handicaps”. This allowed her to set a precedent about her stance on issues of race, gender, politics, and social inequality in not only Brazil but Latin America as a whole. Imploring activism through notions of Liberation Theology and social injustice in marginalized communities by regressive measures from the Church, military and political elites. Benedita da Silva carved a way for her goals on battling corruption faced in Latin American societies by the intersectionality of religion, gender and race. If you want to get into politics, study the individuals who really made a positive impact.
Benedita da Silva, Medea Benjamin, and Maisa Mendonça, Benedita da Silva: An Afro-Brazilian Woman’s Story of Politics and Love (Oakland, CA: Food First Books, 1997)