Twins of different skin color
Marcia and Milli are two 11-year-old twins who defy all the racial theories that exist: one is white-skinned and blond, and the other is dark-skinned and dark-haired. Marcia looks like her mother Amanda, who was born in England, while Millie is the living image of her father Michael, a descendant of Jamaicans.
Both were born in 2006 in Birmingham and the names they were given are intertwined: one is called Millie Marcia Madge Biggs and the other is Marcia Millie Madge Biggs.
But what most impacts is that even being twins, they have a great physical difference. Her case was chosen by the prestigious scientific journal National Geographic in its issue entitled "The racial challenge", which also intends to ask readers to tell their own story with the hashtag #DefineMe. Alicia Martin, specialized in genetic statistics, explained to the media, that the color of the skin "is not a binary trait". When an interracial couple has twins, the traits of each child depend on numerous variables, including the genetic background of pigmentation of their ancestors.
Both were born of different ovum and sperm and the twins do not necessarily have to have the same skin color. However, the case of Milli and Marcia is still "one in a million".
Amanda recalled that when they were babies, she carried them in the stroller and people looked at them, first at one, then at the other, and they asked her "are they twins?" In the affirmative answer, people insisted again: "But one is white and the other black" and she answered patiently "yes, it's the genes". Despite this, the mother, who works as a home care assistant, said that people do not ask "with bad intention", but "curiosity": "As time passed, they saw the beauty in them".
At the age of 11, the twins already understand what racism is all about. "It's when someone judges you by your color and not by your real self," Millie said, to which Marcia added: "It's a negative thing, because it can hurt people's feelings."
Michael, owner of a mechanical workshop, explained that he is still being discriminated. Moreover, he recalls an episode of his youth when a car full of men ran by and shouted insults to him and his brothers. However, he believes that now "it's a different time". Neither he nor Amanda witnessed racist behavior towards girls and both Millie and Marcia claim that they never "perceived" it. "When people see us, they think we're just better friends," Marcia said.