Institutions of higher education in Brazil have been anything but immune to the changing discourse surrounding race in the diverse South American country. A recent Portuguese language article in El País examined how students of color at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio for short) are confronting the many challenges they face on campus.

One effective strategy has been dealing with obstacles collectively. Growing student organizations have found themselves in expanding support roles, both formal and informal, as more and more students of color are admitted to the university. Some groups began as unofficial campus survival guides. Since then they have expanded their reach and made their presence felt more publicly, organizing events, publishing journals and pushing for structural change.

They have taken up their concerns—both material and philosophical—with university administration and faculty. Though change has been slow, the university has been receptive to students’ ideas.

Administrators…