Yeah. It kind of is. If we trained as much for black faces as white faces, the algorithms would be better. Moreover, the background contrast for white faces is frequently worse (against backgrounds of white walls).

Melanin increases the relative specularity of skin so I'm jot sure what you mean by this.

There is also the question of what constitutes 'racist'. In earlier times the threshold/definition included malicious intent. In 2020 more people, myself included, are prone to include cases of benign neglect/inattention.