Mestre Foca and CapoeiraVida Brooklyn are hosting a roda tonight at the Grand Army Plaza, Flatbush Ave. at Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY. The roda is “dedicated to the struggle for equality by people of color in the United States, Brazil, and around the world.” If you are able to attend, be sure to RSVP on the Facebook event page and spread the word to support this important community effort. More information can also be found at the event posting on the CBS New York website.

Here’s a statement from the group:

Capoeira is a martial art like no other, born from the struggle for liberation by African men and women in Brazil. It was outlawed and practiced in secret, sometimes disguised as a dance, and incorporated into Brazilian culture through many generations. Today, capoeira is played around the world by people of all colors, ages, genders, sexualities, nationalities, religions, etc. It is an art that cultivates physical and mental health, uniting us while celebrating our individuality and encouraging compassionate understanding of our differences.

However, while we enjoy playing capoeira, we also honor the strength and resilience of the millions of African peoples who suffered the horrors of slavery and who fought relentlessly for their freedom and dignity. Capoeira is part of the legacy of those people—a manifestation of the power and beauty of black culture, which we humbly acknowledge.

As players of capoeira, we recognize that vestiges of our society’s past linger with us today in the form of an institutionalized racism that discriminates against and promotes violence upon people of color in the US, Brazil and other countries. We emphatically resist this oppression and join others in protest against it. There is no place for bigotry in capoeira, and we will not yield in resisting its presence in society at large.

If you are like-minded, we urge you to speak about these issues with your friends, neighbors, and families in order to enable change. Join us in resistance against destructive and divisive forces; join us in celebration of our differences. Capoeira is but one example of a diverse group of people uniting in harmony to move forward, away from a shameful past, towards a more peaceful and egalitarian future.

Salve capoeira!

Initiated & organized by CapoeiraVida

Mestre Foca & Professora Rouxinol