The article studies the passage of the racial designation from "moreno" to "negro" in the north coast of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. This passage happened between the generations of grandsons and great-grandsons of slaves, namely from the middle of the XXth century to the beginning of the XXIth century. By historicizing, through memory, the categories of racial identification, we are able to denaturalize the "negro" category as the only possible expression of an ethnic identity, and instead recognize the value of the elders perceptions about their racial belonging.
racialization; "moreno"; "negro"