This article examines by country and region the current and historical trends in race relations and racism within South America.
[1] Racism is widely condemned throughout the world, with 170 states signatories of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by August 8, 2006.
[9] In the immediate aftermath of Dom Pedro’s abdication in 1831, the poor people of color, including slaves, staged anti-Portuguese riots in the streets of Brazil's larger cities.
An ideology stating that racial prejudice is not a significant factor in Brazilian society, and that racism is not an obstacle to employment, education, and social mobility the way some believe it is in other countries.
Despite the majority of the country's population being of mixed (Pardo), African, or indigenous heritage, depictions of non-European Brazilians on the programming of most national television networks is scarce and typically relegated for musicians/their shows.
In the case of telenovellas, Brazilians of darker skin tone are typically depicted as housekeepers or in positions of lower socioeconomic standing.
This is a reflection of the economic inequality among races in Brazil, with mixed (Pardo), African and indigenous population constituting the majority of the poor.
In a sign that some Brazilian universities have come to see racism as an obstacle to higher education, several of them have created positive action programs aimed at increasing the admission of Afro-Brazilians and members of the native population.
[17] A 2013 Swedish academic study stated that Venezuela was the most racist country in the Americas,[17] followed by the Dominican Republic.