“Tensiones entre la categoría de 'poblaciones vulnerables' de la palestra PUC-Rio y la noción de identidad afro construida por la Asociación de Afro-descendientes de Barrancabermeja y el Magdalena Medio “AFROBAM”

Abstract

This reflection article critically examines the legal category of "vulnerable populations" within contemporary democratic frameworks. Taking the homonymous debate at the PUC-Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) as a starting point, it contrasts this institutional perspective with the notions of "memory, identity, and reconciliation" built by the Association of Afro-descendants of Barrancabermeja and Magdalena Medio (AFROBAM), based on discussions held in the cities of Barrancabermeja, Bucaramanga, Riohacha, and the District of Palenque (Bolívar). As a regulatory framework, Law 70 of 1993 is revisited in order to recognize the political agency of Black communities. Finally, taking the assassination of Marielle Franco as an emblematic case that evidences the limits of protection, it is argued that Law in a democracy must transition from an welfare-based approach toward the recognition of the political agency and organizational strength of communities.Keywords: Vulnerable populations, Law 70 of 1993, Afro identity, AFROBAM, reconciliation, democratic contexts, political agency.Información de la autora (en inglés): C.P. Ivonne Maritza Correa Morales, public accountant by profession, specialist in Tax Auditing and Administration, student of the Master's Degree in Reconciliation and Coexistence based on Human Rights at the Santo Tomás de Aquino University. Since December 1, 2022, I have been serving as the inspector (corregidora) of the population of the District of Las Flores, Dibulla, La Guajira.