were formed, many of them creating opportunities for Afro-Brazilian politicians and incorporating the struggle against racial inequality in their political agenda.  
In 1996, several institutions related to the black movement in Brazil started pressing for policies of affirmative action. That same year, the Programa Nacional de Direitos Humanos (National Human Rights Programme) started discussing actions to increase the number of Afro-Brazilian students in universities and the need for compensatory policies for blacks. Society started discussing the proposal for racial quotas at public universities, seen as important in increasing racial identification among Afro-Brazilians, at a time when Brazilians started asking themselves, 'Who is black?'  
When sociologist Fernando Henrique Cardoso became President of Brazil in 1994, things had moved on since the 1970s. A number of blacks and mulattoes were at university, in politics and in positions (in journalism and television, for example) from which they could influence public opinion; some were close to the Presidential office and a few were members of Congress or the Senate.  
In November 1996, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso paid his first visit to South Africa since the election of President Nelson Mandela. On that occasion, questioned about inequalities in Brazil in comparison to South Africa, the Brazilian President declared that Brazil was still struggling against inequalities, stating that 'there are many Sowetos in Brazil [...] In fact there was and still is lots of prejudice and discrimination in Brazil, and we are also trying to organize our society in a different way' (Wolthers, 1996, p. 8).