Slavery’s Musical Threads: Brazil’s Black Resistance Lessons for US ICE Violence

This article draws parallels between police violence against Black people in Brazil and the resurgence of ICE brutality in the US under President Trump. It describes a 'baculejo' (police stop) witnessed in Salvador, Brazil, where a Black man was harassed by armed police. The author links this to the history of slavery in Brazil, noting that Salvador was the largest slave market in the Americas. The article argues that Brazil's Black musical traditions, rooted in resistance to slavery, offer lessons for confronting modern state violence. It also cites recent ICE shootings in Houston and Maine, and compares ICE tactics to historical slave patrols in the US South.