“Only justice can break a curse”: reflections on informational justice for black women in the exhibition Outras Brasílias: Memórias Sensíveis E Contranarrativas, Brasilia-df

Abstract

This article presents reflections on the presence of Black women in the exhibition Outras Brasílias: Memórias sensíveis e contranarrativas (2024), held in the Federal District, and the challenges involved in achieving informational justice. The contribution of Black women to the history of the Federal District, although undeniable, is systematically silenced within information institutions. This intentional absence contributes to the persistence of social injustices impacting this group. Informational justice is a concept from Information Science that addresses issues of social justice within information institutions. The exhibition is thus considered a tool of power and a site of epistemic struggle, in which the exclusion of Black women from exhibitions is directly linked to the colonial project that results in epistemicide. This study conducts a qualitative analysis through bibliographic research, document analysis, and on-site observation. It draws primarily on theoretical frameworks from decolonial and counter-colonial studies and is based largely on works produced by Black women scholars. Finally, it proposes that certain exhibition communication strategies can reintegrate the memories and narratives of Black women who have been systematically silenced in the city’s history.