Understanding our worth is vitally important. Particularly now as these advancements in science and technology about melanin is coming to the forefront. We have to be vigilant and we need to start asking some questions. In this blog, you will learn about melanin, and in particular eumelanin – which is the dark-brown melanin pigment that colors our hair, our eyes and our skin, and protects us from sun damage. The Most High, The All-Knowing Creator, created the sun to serve a purpose. In the Book of Jubilees (chapter 2: verses 8 -12) we see that the sun should cause men to prosper. Not just be a blessing to the plants and other things that grow, but to all flesh. Wouldn’t the All-Knowing Creator fashion man’s body to function in tandem with the rest of His creation? Why would men be forced to live in caves to escape the heat and rays of the sun? How is that a blessing?
There are various types or forms of melanin. We all have melanin in our bodies, because it’s responsible for various biological functions, but some have more than others. So it’s not correct to say that white people have no melanin. They do. They just have less of it, which can create deficiencies, linked to a number of skin disorders and health conditions. So what should we know about melanin? Again, the more melanin you produce, the darker your eyes, hair and skin will be. Each person will have a different amount of melanin in their skin. This variation is due to genetics and other factors, and this is important for us to know, because some of the advancements in science and technology is focusing on certain types of melanin.
An article from the Cleveland Clinic entitled Melanin: What Is It, Types & Benefits (clevelandclinic.org) defines the three types of melanin:
- Eumelanin (and there are actually two types of eumelanin, black and brown). This type is responsible for the dark colors in skin, eyes, and hair. People with brown and black hair have varying amounts of brown and black eumelanin. But listen to this: when there’s no black eumelanin and only a small amount of brown eumelanin, it results in people having blonde hair.
- Pheomelanin. This type of melanin is what causes pigments in your lips, or your nipples, and other pinkish areas of your body. People who have equal parts of eumelanin and pheomelanin have red hair. So they have 50/50 of each.
- Neuromelanin. This is the dark pigment found in the brain. So while eumelanin and pheomelanin control the colors of things you see (such as skin, hair and eyes), this neuromelanin is responsible for the color of your neurons, in our body.
Melanin has been studied for centuries. How is it then that today, black melanated people, know very little about the substance which causes their physical appearance? In this second session of the series, Uncovering Melanin Secrets, we continue the discussion regarding the value of black skin. We want to see how the elite are using advanced technology, to exploit the power of blackness. Learn more in the accompanying video, Uncovering Melanin Secrets 2 | Exploiting the Power of Blackness.
