Institute in São Paulo seeks to combat racism through psychological training

“We cannot talk about racism and leave aside the mental health of those affected, the black people”, says psychologist Maria Lúcia da Silva, 73, one of the coordinators of the AMMA Psyche and Negritude Institute, which is located in Sumaré, in the west zone of São Paulo .

Founded in 1995, the institute develops strategies for identifying and deconstructing racism and its psychosocial effects through training and clinical practice, that is, the anti-racist education of psychotherapy professionals.

In a manifesto, AMMA states that racism, in addition to violating social rights, harms the mental health of people affected by it, and can make them develop psychosomatic symptoms, inhibitions and a distorted self-image.

“More than anything, it is a space for exchanging knowledge and producing knowledge”, says AMMA’s executive coordinator, Márcio Farias, 36.

The idea of ​​a core of psychoracial thought was shaped by four black women who experienced the rise of the Brazilian black movement from the 1970s onwards. the Unified Black Movement.

United by a single agenda, emancipation and racial empowerment, in the middle of the military dictatorship, the organizations exposed racial and social prejudice, the salary difference, and also specific demands of women, such as sexism, on the streets.

Psychologist Maria Lúcia da Silva, one of the four founders, says that, at that time, Brazil was experiencing an arid period, sustained by the country’s refusal to accept being racist and the persistent myth of racial democracy.

“This refusal, which we might think still persists today, was and still is one of the main factors in the psychic illness of the black population. AMMA was created to denounce and combat this”, she says.

The founders’ perspective was to debate the psychosocial effects of racism and reiterate that it causes illness and psychological suffering. Discussion that, according to them, was not yet on the agenda.

The group’s first years were devoted to talking about the problem and working out a way to face it. “We wanted to identify the real and symbolic marks of racist violence, thereby formulating a way to combat it”, says Silva.

From the discussion process, the approach used by the institute, called theoretical-experiential, was born. The theory proposes to transform racial relations through experiences and information. According to her, the individual must observe himself and place himself in the environment in which he lives in order to recognize racism and combat it.

The approach created by AMMA was patented for a cooperation project between Brazil and Great Britain to combat racial discrimination in government institutions, a source of pride for formulators.

Now, the institute is embarking on new challenges: the generational transition and the expansion of its activities into the research area, says Jussara Dias, 65, a member of the old guard that founded the space.

“The mission remains the same, dedicating itself, in addition to politics and training, to research. We want to be known as a reference in research and training in the area of ​​psychology and race relations”, she says.

Cléria Prestes, 47, who coordinates the courses offered by the institute, also highlights the importance of including the white population in improving a collective anti-racist conscience.

“White people participate and should participate. In our courses, we always have white students and professors, and the exchange is always welcome. AMMA is a space to expand care for the black population, but also to bring reflection to white people” , says Prestes.

AMMA Psyche and Negritude Institute

Address: av. Doctor Arnaldo, 2083 – Sumare, São Paulo

Learn more about courses and projects here.