The Colors We Share

Book excerpt: Made for young readers, five to eight years old, this book features portraits that celebrate the diverse beauty of human skin. By depicting people from all over the world against a background that matches their skin tone, Angélica Dass challenges the racially charged colors we use to describe race. What does it mean to be seen as "white," "black," "yellow," "red," or "brown"? The pictures show how people and humanity are much richer and more complex than these categories, rendering the labels we use absurd. This book also reveals how every conceivable skin color in the world can be recreated from a mix of only three colors, which we all share. Through Dass's words and pictures, the book celebrates diversity as humankind's most powerful resource and inspires readers to rethink how we see each other.