Racism is when someone believes that one skin color is better than another and that one race is superior to another. It is a belief that one race is more important or better than another because of the color of their skin. Racism often leads to unequal treatment, discrimination, and exclusion of people based on their skin color. People also sometimes use racist words or jokes that hurt people's feelings or make it harder for them to get a fair chance in life. It's not fair to make people feel bad because of their skin color or the race they were born into.