Voicing to heal: Researching black women's suffering in the context of urban violence in Rio de Janeiro

Commonly understood to affect Black men, the urban violence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has concealed social, economic, political, and emotional effects on black women. Since a very specific segment of the population is selected to die, i.e., young, poor and poorly educated black males, residents of suburbs, this concentration means that many people, especially black women, must live daily with violence. However, these experiences are either invisibilized or not taken in consideration in traditional analysis of violence. When their voices are heard, a different perspective to the violence that takes place in Rio de Janeiro is revealed. In a context of suffering, longing and also activism, black women find through their leadership and political practice, a space for action or reaction either at home, in their families, in the community, or in the public arena. How do black women deal with the suffering caused by urban violence? What the meaning of justice in a context of hidden daily suffering? What methodology helps to see the unseen? This paper explores these questions arguing that black women’s structural conditions increases their vulnerability and impacts the way they access justice and is heard in society.