Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, submitted a proposal to amend the club's Bylaws yesterday to Ricardo Lomba, president of the Deliberative Council. The amendment, which is part of the Governing Plan for his presidential candidacy, reinforces Flamengo's commitment to combating structural racism and building a more just and egalitarian society.

The proposal considers the following points:

• Racism, in addition to violating human rights, is a non-bailable and imprescriptible crime, according to the Brazilian Constitution.
• Even though it is a crime, racism remains rooted in Brazilian society and cannot be seen as something isolated — it is the result of structures that maintain discriminatory practices.
• There is no real democracy with racial inequality.
• Respect for diversity is part of Flamengo's history and values.
• Due to its grandeur and reach, Flamengo has the responsibility to be an agent of social transformation, helping to combat discrimination and positively influence current and future generations.

As part of a growing commitment to promoting diversity and combating racism, Flamengo has proposed three amendments to its Bylaws that strengthen the club's role as an agent of social transformation.

• The first includes programs, campaigns, training, and partnerships in support of initiatives that strengthen inclusion and respect for racial and gender diversity.
• The second establishes that Flamengo is committed to combating racism and racial discrimination and must guide the club's internal and external actions, including sports, cultural, social, and professional training activities. The club will adopt disciplinary measures against members, directors, employees, athletes, or service providers who commit or encourage racist or discriminatory acts, guaranteeing the right to defense.
• The third provides for strict penalties, such as suspension for up to 1 year or exclusion from the membership, dismissal or contract termination for employees and motivated termination of the contract for service providers.

The proposed statutory amendment was forwarded to the presidency of the Deliberative Council for analysis and submission to a vote by the Council.