Eclesiastes da Silva (Cley Medeiros) is a journalist. Living in Manaus, Amazonas, he is assistant editor of the online version of A Crítica, and co-editor of content for Mídia NINJA. In 2023, he founded the Jornada da Notícia Circuit, a project selected by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), with the support of YouTube Brasil, to combat misinformation in the Amazon. He was the first journalist for the socio-environmental initiative: Casa NINJA Amazônia, an online center in defense of the Amazon. He participates in the mentoring process of the News Product Alliance, Google News Initiative.

In 2022 he became one of the first black journalists from the Amazon to become an Alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program. In 2020, he was selected to The Intercept Brasil's reporting scholarship program for Black people. In 2020, he also acted as a media educator focusing on Amazon protectors, at the Banana Terra Project by Amnesty International and Greenpeace, in Belém, in the State of Pará. In 2014, he was part of the award-winning team among the 30 most innovative ideas in the world with Jornal do Jardim Carolina, during the SIGEF, Social Innovation Global Ethics Forum, at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Empowering the New Generation of Black Journalists in the Amazon

"Empowering the New Generation of Black Journalists in the Amazon" was created to connect experienced black journalists with the new generation of Black journalists in the Brazilian Amazon and to empower and educate Black content creators on topics related to Black history, digital tools, and the valorization of Black identity. The project held six workshops covering topics related to Black history in the Amazon, the use of digital tools for Black content creators, and discussions on the valorization of Black identity as a means of strengthening social issues that directly affect this population. The virtual meetings were divided into three sessions, with the participation of influential black guest speakers from Brazil. Two meetings were held in person at the Cultural Institute Brazil - United States (ICBEU) and at the Secretariat of Racial Equality of the Municipality of Manaus, the capital of Amazonas. Both the in-person and virtual meetings included a network of IVLP Alumni. A total of 65 people aged between 14 and 38 were reached, including students from two public universities in Manaus, the State University of Amazonas (UEA) and the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), as well as students from public high schools from the outskirts of Manaus.

"I believe that sharing knowledge about Black history in the Amazon is empowering young people, who grow from the reference that racial diversity provides. [The project] is also an opportunity to multiply journalism methods and techniques with young Black people, who may be inspired to change the history of their communities." - Eclesiastes da Silva

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Eclesiastes was a participant in the IVLP Project Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Journalism, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

Eclesiastes's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "At every IVLP meeting across the United States, I approached the transformed experiences that Black professionals deploy to teach the media techniques and news formats that highlight the positive values ​​of Black communities."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; Atlanta, GA; Iowa City, IA; Greensboro, NC

Country: Brazil

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