brave man, attached to traditions and accustomed to independence and freedom. This image generated a rich folklore and became the founding element of a regional socio-cultural identity that until the 1960-the 70s almost erased the contribution of other immigrants and ethnicities. In the words of ethnologist Ruben Oliven, "if the construction of this identity tends to exalt the figure of the gaucho to the detriment of the descendants of German and Italian settlers, it does so in an even more exclusionary way concerning the black and Indian." Recognition and the struggle against racism The movement for the rescue and valorization of African-Gaúcha culture was recorded throughout the 20th century, starting with a series of periodicals founded and run by blacks, dedicated to defending their banners, especially in the fields of discrimination, identity, collective organization, education, and professional training, such as O Tagarela (Rio Grande), A Alvorada (Pelotas), and O Exemplo (Porto Alegre). In the first three post-abolition decades, more than 50 black associative entities were founded in Pelotas; in Porto Alegre 72 clubs and recreational societies emerged, in addition to several mutual aid associations, which played a central role in the organization of the ethnic group. Religious brotherhoods were still active, strengthening the collective bonds. According to José Antônio dos Santos: Many blacks were beginning to gain space and respectability in teaching, union organizing, and other areas, such as Dario de Bittencourt, lecturer and professor of law at UFRGS and director of the newspaper O Exemplo, Paulino Azurenha, considered by many authors the best literary chronicler of the state in the early 20th century and an important figure in journalism, and José Cândido de Campos Júnior, lawyer, district attorney, intendant of Caxias do Sul, and grand-master of the Masonic lodge Força e Fraternidade. An original and influential figure was Custódio Joaquim de Almeida, allegedly an African prince, who settled in Porto Alegre and died in 1935. He was a religious leader and important disseminator of batuque, had contacts in the elite and political class and was an aggregator of the black community. His figure was surrounded by rich folklore and became a symbol of the anti-racist struggle and for the free expression of African cults. Political groups were also formed, in particular the Pelotense Black Front, created in 1933, claiming the end of racial discrimination and a better quality of life, having launched several deputy candidates; and the Union of