Video: How do you help people understand what diversity, equity and inclusion is?

BRAZIL -In Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, democracy is not a distant abstraction — it is lived, built, and defended daily. On Election Day, October 4, as expected on Sunday’s second-round runoff, the steep alleys will fill with voters waiting to cast electronic ballots for clean water, reliable electricity, freedom from gunfire—and dignity itself.

During my own visit, walking through those same labyrinthine, concrete corridors, this fiercely self-reliant spirit was impossible to miss. Past the towering rows of brick homes and along steep, winding roads with bustling motorbike taxis, you immediately feel the pulse of a self-contained city that refuses to be defined by its challenges. Seeing firsthand the vibrant local markets, community-led initiatives, and sheer momentum of daily life makes it clear that the ballot box is just one of many tools the people of Rocinha use to claim their space and shape their own future.