Our Pillars

Narrator:

The concept of race is not uniquely American.

Race, and racism, exist beyond the United States.

Colonization and human trafficking created racial differences to justify violence and enslavement.

Although racial categories and terminologies differ region to region, nation to nation, many of our contemporary ideas about race are rooted in colonial legacies.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, for example, white elites in Latin American countries like Brazil wanted to improve and advance the race.

Policies of whitening actively recruited white European and later Asian immigrants, encouraged race mixing to lighten the population, and included the violent elimination and segregation of Black and Indigenous people.

Additionally, colorism, discrimination that favors people with lighter skin tones, is a race-related historical legacy that persists today.

Studies show that on average, darker skinned people earn less money.

And by 2027, global sales of skin lightning products are expected to surge to 12.6 billion.

But people everywhere are using public forums to condemn racism and colorism and to promote racial equality, self-love, and belonging.

Social activism can also help change prejudiced attitudes and behaviors.

In June, 2020, people in over 60 countries took to the streets to protest the murder of George Floyd, despite government curfews and risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They showed solidarity with Black Americans and denounced racial injustice in their own countries.

Because racism is a persistent global problem, disrupting it requires ongoing, collective global action.

Join the Smithsonian's Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past to better understand what was and create what can be.