How do I know if I'm brown for public exams and Sisu?

Are you asking yourself “How do I know if I’m brown” so you can sign up for public exams and the Sisu?

First, let's understand the concept of the term pardo. It is used to refer to people of mixed racial ancestry.

It is a category used by IBGE, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, created to include people who have a mixture of racial ancestry, generally involving white, black and indigenous ancestry.

Why is it necessary to self-declare?

In public competitions and Enem registrations or educational programs for public colleges, like Sisu, it is necessary to make a self-declaration.

Both to understand the number of people who are participating, and to know who can use quotas.

These questions in questionnaires and applications allow for the collection of statistical data on the racial and ethnic composition of applicants and those entering institutions.

Self-declaration is essential to identify candidates who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against.

This is fundamental to the implementation of affirmative action policies, which aim to correct inequalities and promote the inclusion of groups that have faced systemic discrimination throughout history.

And one of these affirmative actions is the racial quota, a measure adopted by the government, with the aim of promoting equal opportunities and correcting historical and systemic inequalities that affect racial or ethnic minority groups.

Therefore, the participant must declare themselves as black, brown or indigenous to be able to compete in this way.

When he competes by quota, the participant will be competing with other people in the same category and not as broad competition.

So how do I know if I'm brown?

When registering for public competitions, Enem or educational programs such as Sisu, you must make a self-declaration.

Some people end up committing fraud, in order to compete against other people in quotas, whether racial or not. With this, hetero-identification panels are now used, designed to assess whether it is fraud or not.

The panel may cancel your application if it is considered fraud in terms of racial declaration.

So if you have the question “how to know if I'm brown” or not, you can check your own birth certificate, which usually comes with your skin color recorded.

The only thing that is required when registering is your own self-declaration.

Your self-declaration should reflect how you identify and how you feel about your own race or ethnicity.

After that, you need to wait for the panel to approve this identification and you can compete for a quota if you wish.

Some documents may be needed to prove this, in addition to the birth certificate, such as a school enrollment form, vaccination card, health center or hospital records and other documents in which your color is declared.

If you are black or mixed race and your right to compete within the racial quotas is not guaranteed, you will need to look for a specialized lawyer to be able to exercise this right, as you will need to take legal action.