The conclusion returns to the central question posed at the outset: were these suburbs truly "Brazilian Harlems"? As elsewhere in the Americas following the final abolitions of slavery, new generations of the African diaspora left the plantations, confronted discrimination and exploitation in the cities, and became the driving force behind cultural innovations of national and even global significance. It is possible to speak of genuine social change for the migrant groups of the 1920s to 1940s and for their children, who experienced forms of belonging to Brazilian society and political autonomy that, while far from egalitarian, were nonetheless more democratic than those of previous generations. This transformation resulted from an exceptional window of opportunity that closed rapidly, combining demographic, geographical, media, and political factors, including the uncertainties of the new regime after 1930 and its need to secure the support of the urban electorate. It also owed much to organizations rooted in the rural resistance of formerly enslaved populations, which reshaped national representations by promoting Afro-descendant cultures. Two longer-term processes nevertheless continued to unfold. The first was the persistence of the plantation world, as networks of dependency and patronage accompanied migrants into the city. The second was racialization, which operated instead through anonymity, beyond the framework of interpersonal acquaintance, imposing prejudices that profoundly shaped individual trajectories. The mechanisms of exploitation inherited from slavery—control over rootedness and mobility—have since been reproduced in relation to new vulnerable populations, creating an enduring existential threat that reveals the deeply racist character of post-slavery societies.