Understanding that there are no genetic differences between people based on their race is very important when we talk about racism.
I have seen diagrams before where they show two humans of different races next to each other but with all physical aspects removed and show the skeleton side by side. While there are regional skeletal differences there are little differences in terms of the general human descriptions.
Humans throughout history have figured that if they look different than them then they must be different. Unfortunately they’ve gone to the extreme to create social differences where they established slavery and other societal limitations. These differences help those in power establish clear definitions to separate these groups of people. They created artificial restrictions and stereotypes that help society agree or confirm certain aspects towards the marginalized groups.
In Puerto Rico, there is a history of slavery in the plantations that produced sugar cane and tobacco. In my family history, my great-great grandfather, a dark skin tone Puerto Rican, was described in the census as “mulato” also known as mixed. However, when he married a woman from a plantation owning family, a lighter skinned, possibly white from Spanish descent, he was written in as White in the next census. I found that while searching through my genealogy tree and found this interesting social reality.
I believe that every human being, no matter their race, skin color, country of origin, cultural or ethnic background, should be treated as a human being and nothing should be out of reach for them simply because they have a difference that is superficial.
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