RACIAL LITERACY AND EDUCATION FOR ETHNIC-RACIAL RELATIONS IN THE MUNICIPAL EDUCATION NETWORK OF MOSSORÓ/RN

Abstract

This article examines the relationships between racial literacy and Education for Ethnic-Racial Relations (ERER) in the municipal education network of Mossoró/RN. The methodological approach is theoretical-bibliographical, with documentary analysis of relevant legislation, including Law No. 10.639/2003, Law No. 11.645/2008, and CNE/CP Resolution No. 01/2004, as well as data from the Ministry of Education's 2024 and 2026 Equity Diagnosis. The theoretical framework draws on authors from Brazilian and international Black thought, decolonial and Afrocentric perspectives, and critical race theory applied to education. The results indicate that racial literacy goes beyond declarative knowledge about Afro-Brazilian and African history and culture, constituting an epistemological condition for ERER to produce effective pedagogical transformations. The diagnosis reveals that teacher training pathways and municipal curricular policies remain insufficient to sustain this project. It is concluded that ERER in Mossoró relies predominantly on punctual initiatives and individual commitments, without a systemic policy capable of consolidating racial literacy as a collective project of the network.