São Januário is considered by fans, journalists, professors and politicians as a symbol of struggle and resistance against racism in the history of Brazil.

[7] After Vasco da Gama won its first Campeonato Carioca in its debut year in 1923, with a squad made up of blacks and workers known as Camisas Negras (Black Shirts), the other clubs in Rio de Janeiro founded a new league (AMEA, Associação Metropolitana de Esportes Atléticos) and only allowed Vasco to participate if dismissed 12 of his athletes (all black), claiming that they had a "dubious profession" and that the club did not have its own stadium (even though most clubs in the league did not).

[12] In June 2024, the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro approved the São Januário renovation project.

A chapel, known in Portuguese as Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, is located between the stadium and the adjacent aquatic park.

The project of this chapel was made by Álvaro Nascimento Rodrigues and José Ribeiro de Paiva and it was opened on August 15, 1955.

The favela stands out for its very rich local cuisine and its great connection with Vasco da Gama.

[21] The community is made up of street vendors who depend on the games taking place in São Januário to support their families.

In 2023, the Public Prosecutor's Office closed São Januário, in a decision called "racist and elistist" by the favela movements.

[22] The interdiction of the stadium affected the lives of residents and merchants of the community, who suffered the impacts of the absence of fans there.