It’s not enough to call out police when they kill people. Police will continue to murder more people every year with impunity, their violence nurtured by powerful allies. If we want to see a significant reversal to the ruthless march of police savagery, we’re going to need to put our money where our mouths are: toward people’s needs, not police’s deadly deeds.

The challenges facing Lula, and Brazilians in general, are the same ones we all face: how do we prioritize people’s needs over corporate greed, and how do we elevate the rights of human beings, of women, people of colour, Indigenous communities, and the environment, in the face of a rising fascism that deploys organized disinformation so effectively?

For the first time ever, Colombia has chosen new leadership that is not conservative. Voters narrowly elected the former mayor of Bogotá, Gustavo Petro, in a runoff election. His election is viewed as part of the ongoing “pink tide” in Latin America where a wave of left-leaning leaders have succeeded in taking power through democratic elections.