Brazil was discovered and, claimed by the Portuguese in 1500. By 1525, the first slave ships started to arrive. It was the first Western Hemisphere nation with slavery and it was the last (ending in 1888) to have this vile practice cease. The memories are bitter and hang over the head of this nation's history. This nation has been a sleeping giant in the global arena but is taking big steps to enter into the distinction of a First World Nation. Brazil's President Lula da Silva proudly considers himself the leader of "People of Color". He has even chastised President Barack Obama for not having enough concentration in this area. On the other hand, Brazil's bid via Rio de Janeiro was a super winner. It vowed to rebuild the slums of Rio and empower the masses. The infrastructure, job opportunities and contractual bidding would be thoroughly diverse and would make the Olympics Committee proud.
I do know that racial identity is important and perceived differently there. For example, people who consider themselves black or African American in the U.S. would not automatically be considered black or African Brazilian in Brazil. People who have brown or lighter skin complexions in Brazil are mulattos, morenos, or some other nonblack color category. Approximately half of Brazil's 150 million people are classified as mulatto or black. "Pe na cozinha" means "Foot in the kitchen" and "mulatinho" means "little mulatto." "Foot in the kitchen" refers to someone normally seen as white acknowledging his African ancestry because the kitchen is the kitchen of slavery in which blacks served white in all aspects of life.
