Identidades in English No 2, May 2014 | Page 44

expose and contract HIV-AIDS and other venereal diseases. There are also frequent pregnancies. Education Education in most Afro-descendant communities that are located in inaccessible, isolated areas operates at a very low level when compared to the national average. With any luck, one can attend a primary school, which does not offer anyone the ability to get dignified, well-paid work. Getting a professional, secondary or university-level education is extremely expensive because one has to move to other areas to complete one’s studies with scholarships, and night classes or work. This still generally means having to spend too much on room and board, and most people just cannot afford it. Racism and racial discrimination Racial discrimination happens in diverse ways. It often manifests itself subtly; other times it is overt. The most frequent forms of it occur in hiring situations, or as verbal and social abuse by means of language whose connotation is clearly racist. Afro-descendants, and black women in particular, are discriminated against when they seek dignified employment or even just want a better quality of life. In some countries, Afro-descendants’ access to public spaces is limited and disdained in full view of the authorities. Intentionally racist and exclusionary euphemisms about black people persist in signs like “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Admission” in bars, restaurants and places for public entertainment and VIP locations, and in signs like “Private Residence” or