In as far as black America now having a significant voice in the national conversation, you're right. In as far as that means that racism is now less of a pernicious force in society than it was, I also think you're right. Those things are tied together; black America is voicing their grievances so loudly because they are now in a position where they can do, partly because the vast majority of America is now ready and willing to listen.

Where you are tragically wrong is your assumption that because black Americans now have the power to voice their grievances, that somehow invalidates those grievances instantly. There are still many many areas of life in America where racism still rears it's ugly head.

You love to use the economic growth of black communities after the civil war as further evidence to disprove the idea that America has racism at it's core. Are you ignoring the starting point there? It's not like black communities in America had anywhere to go but up after hundreds of years of slavery.

Each incremental step on the path to equality has been met with opposition from white America. The civil rights movement was such a monumental struggle because of the overwhelming opposition it faced. At that point, black America had enough of a voice to secure changes in the legal foundation of the country to ensure, in the eyes of the law, they had the basic human rights that the declaration of independence claimed to be based on. Do you think the leaders of the civil rights movement then suddenly believed that they had ended racism in America, and that they could sit back and rest on their laurels? Of course not, they knew that was just another incremental step in a long long battle to end the deeply ingrained racism that continued, and continues to exist in America. I believe we are further down that path today, and the shift in dialogue we have seen over the last two weeks has been monumental, but it's still only another incremental step. Do I believe all problems that black communities face in America are the direct result of racism in society? No, I do not, but I do believe racism is still a pernicious enough force that it has a significant effect on how society is structured, and the daily lives of people who have to face that reality in society.

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