This “magnanimous volition”: the Colored Men Federatio

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to investigate the Colored Men Federation (FHC - Federação dos Homens de Cor), an association whose main goal was to act towards the moral, cultural, political and social development of Afro-Brazilians. The federation was founded in São Paulo, in 1909, but it was transferred to Rio de Janeiro, in 1920. FHC promoted collective actions, set African diasporic references, advocated for an equality discourse, influenced the national agenda by setting debates and alliances with different sectors of Brazilian society. Thus, the aim of this article is to rebuild some aspects of the trajectory of this association according to its aspirations and organization, struggle and identity forms.

Keywords
colored men; African descendant; race; associativism; citizenship