ev·er·more

Many people believe that the color of a persons skin determines how they should be treated. People use skin color as an excuse to antagonize others. Skin color, though, is not something one can control. It is the work of genetics and DNA, evolution and natural selection. The question is, how do these factors contribute to different skin tones?

Skin pigmentation is directly correlated with UV radiation levels. In areas of high UV radiation, skin color is usually darker. These areas of high UVR are near the equator, meaning that people living near the equator are typically darker in skin tone. On the other hand, lighter skin colors are caused by areas with less UV radiation.

Why is this true? Why does UV radiation determine skin pigmentation? It all comes down to one thing: natural selection. Natural selection is the process in which heritable traits that allow organisms a better chance at survival and reproduction become more common in a population over time. This allows for diversity in a species and/or population.

Due to the harsh UV radiation in some areas, your skin produces more melanin to protect your skin. The more melanin found in skin, the darker the skin color becomes. Other human populations living farther away from the equator were exposed to less UV radiation, resulting in lower amounts of melanin in the skin and lighter skin tones.

Racism is the act of antagonizing and/or discriminating a group of people based on their ethnicity. This includes discrimination by skin color. Skin color has no correlation with one’s ethnicity. It is solely nature that allows one group to have different skin pigmentation than another. Why do we continue to discriminate groups of people based on their skin color though they have no control over it? Why do we continue to discriminate people at all?