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Mariana Póvoa, Approved for Medicine at UnB, Saw Her Dream Turn into a Nightmare After Being Eliminated from Racial Quotas. Self-identified as Brown, She Was Disqualified After the University’s Heteroidentification Committee Claimed She Did Not Meet the Criteria for Quotas. Now, She Is Fighting in Court to Reverse This Decision.
Securing a spot in medicine at a public university is the dream of thousands of Brazilian students.
For many, achieving this goal requires years of dedication and exceptional academic performance. However, for 20-year-old Mariana Abreu Santos Póvoa, making this dream a reality has become a true nightmare.
Approved in the entrance exam at the University of Brasília (UnB) through the racial quota system, the student was disqualified after the university’s heteroidentification committee did not recognize her as Black.
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Now, Mariana is fighting in court to try to reverse the decision and secure her right to the spot.
Young Woman Declares Herself Brown but Is Disqualified
Mariana has always identified as brown and does not consider herself a white person.
The student claims that in various social spaces, she is recognized as a Black woman and has never had her identity questioned until now.
Despite this, the UnB’s heteroidentification committee determined that she did not possess the phenotypes required to compete through the quota system.
“As long as I can remember, I identify as brown. I was shocked by the committee’s result. I have always seen myself as Black, and a group of people tells me I am white,” the student expressed.
The disqualification was based on the evaluation of the candidate’s phenotypic traits, such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features.
Mariana reports that the evaluators pointed out her skin as white, with a thin nose and lips, in addition to wavy hair. “But my hair is curly, my lips are full, and my skin is brown,” she contested.
Family Turns to Justice
In light of the disqualification, Mariana’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Brazilian Center for Research in Evaluation and Selection and Promotion of Events (Cebraspe), the organizer of UnB’s entrance exam.
The goal is to nullify the committee’s decision and secure the student’s spot.
For Mariana, the feeling is one of injustice. “I will fight until the end for this decision to be reviewed. It’s my dream to study medicine, and I will not give up,” she stated.
How Racial Quotas Work at UnB
The racial quota system at the University of Brasília reserves spots for Black candidates (brown and black), based on phenotypic criteria.
Self-declaration is not sufficient to guarantee participation in this category, as validation by an examining committee is required.
This committee is responsible for assessing whether the candidate possesses characteristics compatible with those of a Black individual, taking into account aspects such as:
- Skin color;
- Hair texture;
- Facial features.
The aim of the process is to prevent fraud and ensure that the quotas benefit those who truly suffer from structural racism in Brazil.
The Position of the University of Brasília
In a statement, UnB asserted that the heteroidentification process strictly followed the norms established in the entrance exam notice, ensuring transparency and impartiality in the selection.
The institution emphasized that there is no possibility of administrative reevaluation of the decision, as no irregularities in the process were identified.
“The committee operated according to the criteria established in the notice, analyzing exclusively the candidate’s phenotypic characteristics and concluding that she did not meet the requirements to compete for the spots reserved for Black individuals,” declared UnB.
Debate on Racial Criteria
Mariana’s case has reignited the debate over the criteria used to define who can or cannot benefit from racial quotas.
Experts argue that defining racial identity in Brazil is complex and involves historical, social, and cultural factors.
Researchers highlight that while phenotype is an essential criterion for the quota policy, it is also crucial to consider the social context of each individual.
“Many brown people experience racism, even if their appearance is not heavily marked by Black traits,” explains anthropologist José Luiz Martins.
Mariana’s story reflects an increasingly common dilemma in selection processes that utilize racial quotas.
Meanwhile, she continues to await a judicial decision that could determine the course of her academic and professional life.
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