The historical and educational process of the Black Movement in Amapá: struggles, challenges, and access to higher education

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the historical trajectory, struggles, challenges, and resistance processes of the Black Movement in the state of Amapá, emphasizing their implications for access to higher education. The study adopts a qualitative, exploratory approach based on a literature review and document analysis, utilizing Content Analysis as the technique for data processing and interpretation. From this methodological perspective, the article examines how the Amapá Black Movement has consolidated itself over time—not merely as a space of resistance, but as a political actor capable of formulating demands, generating knowledge, and influencing the development of transformative actions. A notable initiative is the Programa de Interiorização Quilombola (PIQ—Quilombola Outreach Program), which exemplifies the movement’s capacity for mobilization and collective action by moving beyond the mere denunciation of racism toward the creation of institutional alternatives. This process reveals new possibilities for collaboration among the university, the territory, and the community, placing the Black population at the center of knowledge production and the democratization of higher education. The results demonstrate that the PIQ expanded access to higher education across the territory and incorporated mechanisms for Quilombola movement participation in policy formulation. However, challenges remain regarding its institutionalization, financial sustainability, student retention, and the implementation of curricular practices aligned with the knowledge systems and specificities of Quilombola territories.