What You Don’t Know About Brazucas in NYC

Written by Khatia Mikadze

When you meet a Brazilian in New York, one of your first questions is most likely about the world-famous Brazilian carnival. Then you’ll probably ask about the gorgeous hot summer days and soccer players you may be obsessed with. You may even get so curious that you stop by a hair salon to get a popular Brazilian blowout or make a dinner reservation in Little Brazil, an area on West 46th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. But if you think that’s as far as Brazilian culture extends in NYC, you’re mistaken. It’s time to address a few of the misconceptions about the Brazilian immigrants who are bringing their culture and enthusiasm to the US.

Misconception No. 1: There aren’t that many Brazilian immigrants in NYC.

The majority of Brazilian immigrants, known as Brazucas, have been coming to the US since the 1980s, due to increasing lack of opportunities in Brazil. The Portuguese term Brazuca reflects the early 90s phenomenon of Brazilian entrepreneurs who migrated to a foreign country for better economic opportunities. Unfortunately, Brazilian migration to the US did not receive much attention from immigration researchers because they were often categorized as Latin Americans. “Becoming Brazuca,” the most recent study on Brazilian immigrants, sheds light on the “invisibility” of Brazucas in immigration research, census reports, and policy analyses. The study suggests that there are severe discrepancies in the demographic record because Brazilians are thrown into the larger group of “Hispanics.” For example, according to data quoted in the study there are a mere 20,000 Brazilians living in NYC, while the New York Brazilian Consulate estimates there are closer to 300,000 — 70 percent of whom are undocumented. While the consulate serves New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, it is not sure exactly how many Brazilians live in each state, though the limited available data does indicate that the majority of Brazilians in the US live in Massachusetts, Florida, and various regions of NYC, particularly Astoria, Queens.

While there has been research on Brazilian immigrants who live in Massachusetts, there is almost no comprehensive literature about those who live in NYC.

Misconception No. 2: Brazilians can understand Spanish, even though they speak Portuguese.

Stephanie Mulcock, the Executive Director of Cidadão Global in Long Island City

Stephanie Mulcock, the Executive Director of the Brazilian Community Center in Long Island City called Cidadão Global, says that the “Hispanization” of  Brazilians living in the US is a result of limited research and resources available about Brazilian immigrants. She notes that this misconception has a detrimental impact on Brazilian immigrant mothers who deal with the public school system in NYC. They are constantly given informational and educational resources for their children in Spanish, rather than in Portuguese, which creates misunderstanding and frustration among the mothers and families.

“Brazil itself is very diverse in terms of race and ethnicity,” says Mulcock. “But when Brazilians come to the US, they are forced to identify themselves according to the North American racial box which is only unique to the States.”

Misconception No. 3: Brazilian women hang out in bikinis all the time.

Apart from being “Hispanized,” Brazilian women immigrants in the US are often over-sexualized. Common stereotypes of Brazilian women are drawn from “carnival-like” associations, including that they must all be sexy, beautiful, submissive, and voluptuous. Mulcock notes that due to the natural hot climate of most of Brazil, it is very common for people there to show more skin, but this should not be an excuse for Americans to create certain stereotypes about them. When Brazilians come to the US they are often stigmatized for being bubbly and sexy.

Misconception 4: Most Brazilian women immigrants are only qualified to be domestic workers in the US.

In reality, many Brazuca women who come to the US are very well educated. There is a sub-group of educated young single mothers who are either divorced or separated from their partners, and their goal is to work to support their children. But because of the language barrier and limitations of their immigrant visas, most of them choose to become domestic workers (babysitters, housekeepers, etc.). Mulcock says that there are certain “strings attached” with domestic work. Besides being constantly underpaid, Brazilians — like many other women immigrants — often face discrimination and other types of abuse, such as insults, threats, and even physical abuse. Sometimes, she says, these young women are eligible to get better jobs but because of the language barrier or their immigration status they are too scared or don’t know how to report abuses or wage theft to appropriate authorities or organizations (like New York Legal Assistance Group and Domestic Workers United) who could help them. As a result, they become “native informants,” meaning they only exchange information and resources with other Brazilian immigrants.

In 2010, several women-centered organizations, in coalition with Cidadão Global, organized for and helped pass the NY State Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (read the basic rights safeguarded for domestic workers by the bill here). This was the first law of its kind and served as the model for other states that passed similar laws in recent years, like California and Massachusetts. To raise more awareness about this issue and to give voice to women immigrants, political stakeholders, community-based organizations, and activists need to come together for an effective community engagement. 

Breaking the stereotype

Nathalia Narciso is a second-generation young Brazilian woman immigrant living in NYC. As the daughter of immigrants, she was expected to fall into the stereotypical life of women immigrants: struggle, get married, have children, and become a domestic worker. It is true that her parents did not speak English and her school did not provide her with sufficient resources — she even had to stop her studies in her junior year of college so that her parents could pay for her sister to go to school.

“Living with a ‘double identity’ and being a kid with an accent was not easy,” says Narciso. Despite the financial constraints and stress, she broke the cycle and the stereotype: She took an initiative as a high school student and became a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, through which she received access to many resources and eventually was accepted to college. She started as an intern at Cidadão Global and eventually became a community organizer. She helped other young Brazilians like her apply for DACA status (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), with a 98 percent success rate.

“To pave the path, you should appreciate how and why your parents came here and what they did for you,” says Narciso. “By taking initiative and getting an education, you break the cycle. I want to be successful and I want to break the common stereotypes of who Brazilian women are.”

Special thanks to the staff of Cidadão Global: Claudiana Smith, Stephanie Mulcock, and Nathalia Narciso.