There's a kid I go to school with being racist on Facebook by saying that black people aren't as evolved as everyone else. Our genetic makeup is exactly the same, but that's not a strong argument to someone who can find pseudo-science more convincing. I'd like to say something, but I don't have enough anthropological/(socioeconomic?) knowledge on the subject to sound intelligent.
I'd like to know why Africa seems to be less developed than the rest of the world. How big of a part did racism and oppression play in the lack of progression (academically/scientifically) of the continent's societies?
Any other info would be helpful.
You may be interested in our FAQ section on Why is Africa "Less Developed?", as well as our Civilizations of the Americas section which covers much of the same ground for the pre-Columbian Americas.
The reason why it's so hard to respond intelligently to ignorant nonsense is because reality is often complicated.
For example, Jared Diamond addressed this exact question in his bestseller "Guns, Germs, & Steel", and to lay people, it's a really compelling theory that can be summarized as "cultures on east-west oriented continents with moderate geographic barriers and predictable seasons will tend to develop advanced agricultural societies faster." Diamond dramatically overstated the importance of geography while demphisizing other important factors. You can read much more about that in this thread from /r/askanthropology.
Not coincidentally, the critiques of Diamond's books are themselves illuminating and approach your question from a lot of angles.