Racism

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Racism is a belief that some people have that says one race is better than another. These people are called "racists" and think that people can be split into different groups. This split is usually done on the basis of things that can easily be seen, like the colour of the skin. Since race is something a person inherits from his or her ancestors, this can mean a belief that one person is better than another person because of who the ancestors of those people were.

Scientists usually say that different races came from groups of families living in one place for a very long time. However, all races of humans can breed with one another, and make new races.

Many countries today say that differences between people are not important as far as the law goes. That means everyone has the same rights guaranteed in the constitutions of those countries.

While most groups of people have some pride in who they are, belief in racism can lead some people to treat other races badly, or try to take away their rights. Many countries in the past have had governments run by racist policies, like Nazi Germany, many United States before the civil rights movement, and South Africa during the apartheid. In these cases, many people lost their freedom or their lives simply because their races were different from those in the government.

In the 1960s, the Indian Workers' Association in the UK said there was a difference between racialism - the prejudice of those who do not know any better - and racism - the deliberate political use of racial hatred. The two words are often used with the same meaning, despite this distinction being made.

Two examples of racist groups in history have been the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the Nazi party.

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