Stories of Paraná - Race Day

Stories of Paraná - Race Day

Race Day
Luiz Ribeiro Spinato

Half a century ago, the small Curitiba stood on street corners.
Virtually everyone knew and theme, then obviously it was
War II had "captured" our GIs FEB (Brazilian Expeditionary Force). Manoel Ribas - the Maneco Machete - ruled the State with authority and austerity. And in this country for so many holidays, there was one decipherable by the current regime and ambiguous: sent troops to fight alongside the allies, but had interior colors dictatorial.
This holiday was the "Race Day", celebrated on September 4.

That day, civic parades tried to confirm the "Brazilianness."
On September 4, 1943 or
1944 memory serves, nearly two thousand students of the College of Paraná State, almost all middle class remedied or near-poor, blue pants and white shirts, closed the parade of "Race Day". Followed the brave boys of the College of Santa Maria, frequented by the then cream of society Curitiba, with their uniforms similar to the military, colored caps, leggings, gold buttons.
The parade was front page news in the papers. And the "Gazeta" not forgiven.
In the language of the reporters, "gave a stick" in the parade of the State College.
Upon arriving at school the next day, I noticed a revolting against buzz "Gazeta do Povo". Result: decided by jamming the paper, which worked in Rua XV, between Mosenhor Celso and Marechal Floriano. The whole school gathered at Praça Santos Andrade and marching beat, headed for the offices of the newspaper.
At the corner of Monsignor Celso with Rua XV, the mass was contained by a white-haired man, strong and determined voice that shouted: - "Follow me!" Was Professor José Francisco Gomes Ribeiro, led the mass beardless toward State College, located at the time in Pereira Ebony Street - which is now the Department of Culture.
Ended the students in the auditorium and spent a resounding soap in "agitators", noting that democracy freedom of criticism, freedom of the press is vital.
Empastelar (close) a newspaper is like ripping the Constitution, stabbing citizenship. And we were under the Vargas dictatorship.
The white-haired man had wisdom.
For more than a decade directed the State College.
It was my father.
Luiz Ribeiro Spinato engineer


Source: Stories of Paraná, Brasil.