How Did Different Races of People Begin?

Otto E. (age 11) asks,

“How did different races of people begin? For example, what made certain people have different skin colors or different facial features?”

What a great question, Otto!

Studying God’s Word tells us we are all part of one race—the human race. God created every human being in his image (Genesis 1:27). We’re all descended from the same two people, Adam and Eve. Why, then, do people have so many different skin colors, hair types, and facial features? The answer lies in our DNA.

The Building Blocks of Life

DNA is a complex string of information in every living thing that works together to form genes. Our genes are the genetic information we inherit from our parents. Think of genes and DNA as a recipe that determines what you look like and how your body functions. Most people in the world are a shade of brown somewhere in the middle. Our DNA is very similar because we all share a common ancestor in Adam and Eve, who were probably medium brown. Even so, the few differences account for the beautiful diversity of skin, hair, and eye color we see in people across the world today.

Different skin “colors,” which are all really just different shades of brown, come from a pigment our bodies produce called melanin. A pigment is what gives something its color. There are two types of melanin—eumelanin (yoo-MEL-uh-nin), which is dark brown, and pheomelanin (fee-oh-MEL-uh-nin), which is a reddish color.

Melanin is what determines someone’s skin, hair, and eye color. All humans produce both types of melanin, but the more melanin someone’s body produces, the darker their skin, hair, and eyes will be. People with red hair and freckles produce more pheomelanin, while people with darker hair and skin produce more eumelanin. No one is “black,” and no one is “white.” We are all different shades of brown.

Spreading Out After Babel

After the flood of Noah’s day, God commanded humanity to scatter and spread out across the earth. But the people were full of pride and refused to obey. They wanted to make a name for themselves instead, so they stayed in the land of Shinar, defying God and trying to build a tower that reached the heavens.

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

Their disobedience caused God to confuse their language. Since people could no longer understand one another, they were forced to abandon the tower’s construction and disperse as God commanded. People went their separate ways, forming distinct languages, cultures, and people groups and eventually isolating the gene pools. This explains why skin tones and different facial features are divided across various parts of the world today.

The Bible clearly teaches that all people are created in the image of God, regardless of where they come from, what language they speak, or how much melanin they produce. We may not look the same, but we are all part of one human race!

Do you have a question about the Bible? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. We’d love to hear from you!