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A man's tweet about the colour of a plaster on his hand has gone viral for an important reason

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A man's tweet about the colour of a plaster matching the colour of his skin has gone viral after it resonated with thousands of people online.

Dr Dominque Apollon, the 45-year-old vice president of research at the racial justice organisation Race Forward, shared a picture on Twitter of his hand, with his little finger wrapped in a bandage.

The plaster which matched the colour of his skin, is only noticeable when the picture is enlarged and sparked an emotional response from Apollon who admitted he was 'holding back tears'

The plaster is a Tru Colour bandage, a company that has released a series of plasters that aim to blend in with the injured individual's skin tone.

Apollon, who is from Oakland, California, elaborated on why the colour of the plaster meant so much to him as opposed to their regular colour.

His thread resonated strongly with others on Twitter with many relating to this feeling and sharing their own experience, including Star Wars actor John Boyega.

Others, including school teachers, admitted that it had opened their eyes to a problem that they had never considered before.

Speaking to CBS, Apollon said that recognition of the tweet had been "heartwarming and humbling" and he hopes that it can help create further discussions.

It's been heartwarming and humbling to recognise that this has helped give voice to the feeling of racial exclusion that so many people of colour, not just in the United States, but around the world feel.

We can all work together to create a better society if we just start with calming our defensiveness when others express a feeling of exclusion, and then just listen.

HT CBS News

More: This new research into skin colour genetics will change everything you thought you knew about race​

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