The Brazilian Experience in the United States

Brazil has traditionally been a country of destination for immigrants.  Therefore, emigration from Brazil is a recent phenomenon and official statistics on Brazilians leaving the country are scarce.  Some estimates indicate that since 1995, the emigration has increased to a rate of 20% per year.  Indeed, Brazilian government figures show that about 1,500,000 Brazilians, or one percent of the country’s population, are now living abroad, half of them in the United States.  Other destinations are Paraguay, Japan, and Europe, (Souza, 2000).

Some 1996 estimates (Gallant, n.d.) show that 610,130 Brazilians left Brazil for the United States, and that 230,000 were living in New York, 150,000 in Boston, and 130,000 in Miami with the remaining dispersed in additional communities in Washington, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago (DeBiaggi, 2002) .

American anthropologist, Maxine Margolis, indicates that, in 1990, there were 80,000 to 150,000 Brazilians living in the New York metropolitan area, the majority (70%) of whom are undocumented (Margolis, 1994) . According to her findings, some Brazilians migrate temporarily for economic reasons.  Many professionals are unable to find jobs commensurate with their training and education, and they end up in low-paying jobs.

Prominent Brazilians

Here are some examples of prominent Brazilian people:

Jorge Amado, writer (Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado, 2002).

Alessandra Ambrósio, supermodel (Alessandra-ambrosio.net, 2004).

Djalma de Andrade (commonly known as Bola Sete), guitarist (MP-3.com, 2005).

Sônia Braga, actress (Maltin, L, 1994).

Gisèle Bündchen, supermodel (Abstract.net, 2005).

Drumond D’Andrade, writer

Di Cavalcanti, painter

Paulo Coelho, writer (Martín, 2002).

Emerson Fittipaldi, car-racer (Grand Prix History, n.d.a).

Paulo Freire, pedagoge (Provenzo, n.d.).

Isabeli Fontana, supermodel

Gilberto Freyre, writer (Bookrags, n.d.).

Carolina Maria de Jesus, writer (Wolfe, 1996).

Ademir Martins, painter

Cecilia Meirelles, writer

Fernando Meirelles, film director (Tribute, n.d.)

Sérgio Vieira de Mello, diplomat and human rights activist (Office of the United Nations…, n.d.)

Chico Mendes, environmental activist (Trussell, 2004).

Oscar Niemeyer, architect (Arcspace.com, 2003).

Ana Maria Pacheco, sculpter (Ana Maria Pacheco, 2004).

Pelé, Soccer champion (360soccer.com, 2004).

Nelson Piquet, car racer (Grand Prix History, n.d.b.).

Sebastião Salgado, Photographer (Terra, 2002)

Alberto Santos-Drumont, inventor and pioneer aviator union leader

Bichu Sayão, opera singer

Ayrton Senna, car racer (International Motorsports…, 2004).

Notable Brazilian Writers: Orígenes Lessa, Adonias Filho, ÉricoVeríssimo, Dinah Silveira de Queiroz, Lygia Fagundes Telles, Herberto Sales, Rubem Fonseca, Clarice Lispector, Dalton Trevisan,Nélida Piñon, Osman Lins, Edgard Telles Ribeiro, and Moacir Scliar; and among the poets: Raul Bopp, Murilo Mendes, Augusto Frederico Schmidt,Mário Quintana, Cassiano Ricardo, Jorge de Lima, Ferreira Gullar, Cecília Meireles, Augusto de Campos, and Haroldo de Campos. (Permanent Missions to the United Nations, n.d.).

Heitor Villa-Lobos, Composer (Frey, 1998).

Xuxa, Popular entertainer

Prominent Brazilian Americans

Brazil 66, musicians (A&M Corner, 2002)

Sergio Mendes, musician (Space age pop musicmaker, n.d.)

Carmen Miranda, Hollywood legend (Maria-Brazil, 2004)