The Truth About Skin Colour: Neither Black nor White

 

Rewriting the Skin Story: What Science Really Says About White Skin

In 2005, a breakthrough study shook the foundations of what many people think they know about race and skin colour. It didn’t come from a political rally or a cultural think tank — it came from a lab.

Recently republished by TheRoot.com, the original Washington Post report details a discovery by scientists that could change how we talk about skin, science, and society forever.

Their message? White skin is the result of a tiny genetic accident.

One Letter in a 3.1 Billion Word Story

The scientists, led by researchers at Penn State University, discovered a tiny mutation — just one letter of DNA — that largely explains how white skin first appeared in human history.

Yes, one letter.

That change occurred by chance in a single person after humans migrated out of Africa, when all people still had brown skin. As some groups moved north into colder, less sunny climates, this pale skin mutation spread. It wasn’t about superiority or intelligence — it was about surviving with less sunlight and getting enough Vitamin D.

The mutation didn’t make them smarter. It didn’t make them better. It just made their skin lighter.

What Race Is And Isn’t

Let’s be clear: this isn’t the discovery of a “race gene.”

Skin tone is just one visible difference, and it says very little about what’s underneath. Experts like Stephen Oppenheimer of Oxford University remind us that most human differences are, quite literally, skin deep.

And yet, that tiny difference has driven centuries of division.

What Makes Us Different? Almost Nothing.

Here’s the scientific truth: all humans are 99.9% genetically identical. The idea of different races having different biology is a myth — one long used to justify oppression, colonialism, and exclusion.

That tiny 0.1% variation affects everything from eye shape to hair texture. But it does not justify hatred. It does not explain inequality.

So why does it still have so much power?

The Insecurity Behind Racism

Study leader Dr. Keith Cheng worried his findings might be misused. History is full of attempts to turn skin tone into a scale of human worth. But Cheng made an important observation:

“Human beings are extremely insecure and look to visual cues of sameness to feel better, and people will do bad things to people who look different.”

In other words, racism has less to do with genetics and more to do with insecurity and power.

Why White Skin Became Popular

Some scientists believe white skin’s rise may also have come from sexual selection — a kind of biological popularity contest. In colder climates, light skin may have seemed exotic or attractive. That’s not evolution playing favourites — that’s human behaviour responding to novelty and survival conditions.

Race is Real — But Not the Way You Think

Vivian Ota Wang of the National Human Genome Research Institute said it best:

“You may tell people that race isn’t real and doesn’t matter, but they can’t catch a cab.”

Race may be scientifically flimsy, but its social impact is very real. Being denied a job, profiled by police, or left standing on the curb because of your skin — that’s the reality millions live every day.

So while genetics tells us race is a myth, lived experience tells us we still have work to do.

Reclaiming the Narrative

Let’s be honest: race has never been about DNA. It’s about stories. Power. Who gets to tell the human story — and who gets left out.

Now that science confirms our connectedness, it’s time to rewrite the script.

Africa is not the birthplace of one “race.” Africa is the birthplace of all humanity. White skin didn’t come first — it came later, as a mutation, as an adaptation.

Knowing this, we must confront the lies we inherited. We must speak up when white is painted as “default” and Black as “other.” We must affirm what science and spirit already know:

Black is original. Black is beautiful. And the human story starts with us.

If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy these: The Missing Black Populations of North Africa, Reconstructing Black, ‘Tiny’ Skin Mutation, Africa’s 600-year-old Chinese fable