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What is race?
In the past, people believed that there were different races of people, who shared common physical features such as skin colour, hair type, facial features, character and skills. Racists have used this idea to label certain ‘races’ as fundamentally different and inferior.
However, we now know through genetics that there is just one species to which we all belong and that people of all colours and appearances have a similar potential. The physical differences between people around the world are external, not internal, and are caused by the adaptation of people over long periods of time to different environments.
The genes that code for our physical appearance are a very small number and are not in any way connected to genes which code for other characteristics. The genetic differences between so-called races are smaller than the differences within these groups.
What is racism?
Though race is an arbitrary social concept, racism is very real. Racism is the belief that pe...
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