The origin of the concept of colourism comes from the history of colonization, racial oppression and slavery. It is a subject that deserves greater attention from society all over the world, because it occurs in a discriminatory way, where it is based on skin color and physical traits in order to classify a certain person, completely affecting the lives of people who are affected by this type of discrimination. This type of prejudice contributes to the significant increase in inequalities.

What makes colorism different from racism?

They are very similar types of discrimination, because they are based on prejudice, but there are differences that I'll explain below. Racism is oriented towards the identification of the person belonging to a certain race, it consists of prejudice and discrimination based on ethnic characteristics. Colorism is based on the color of the person's skin, focusing on the shades of color within the same ethnic group, thus determining a significant role in the treatment and opportunities that the person will have within their society, thus establishing hierarchies. 

There may be cases in which lighter-skinned black people find it easier to be "accepted" within a particular social group, thus highlighting colorism, where this type of prejudice can make things easier for lighter-skinned people and more difficult for darker-skinned people. Black people with greater racial characteristics are more excluded in different social groups and certainly have fewer opportunities in society.

There are many cases in which a person's ethnic origin is annulled and in a discriminatory way certain nicknames are created for the person such as: chocolate, café com leite, jambo color and many others. It is regrettable that there is prejudice throughout humanity, because we know that we are all the same, we are all brothers and sisters and we are here for our evolution. 

We have to understand that nothing and nobody changes people's origins, we all have a history, an ethnic-racial identity, being physically different is normal and it's healthy to respect differences.