Racism in America

Racism is inherent in America. But for racism, there would be no America.
By the time Europeans arrived on these shores with settlement in mind, native peoples had already established rich and intricate cultures. Because Europeans believed the native peoples were savages and less than human, they took what they wanted, the land. For the same reason, the native cultures were destroyed.
Racism created the environment that bolstered the American economy. Most people have the incorrect notion that slavery was limited to southern states. Not true. Slavery existed all over the United States and its territories until it was confined to the south in the 19th century.
Racism did not disappear with slavery's end. Both northern and southern states had some form of Jim Crow though the 1960's. Just one generation ago! Remember, in the 60's at least two southern states abolished all public education just to keep black children from going to school with white children. Every advance in civil rights had to be fought for either in the streets or in the courts. Not a single solitary advancement came about because the white politicos decided to do the right thing. Not until the Voting Rights Act in the 60's did black have an enforceable right to vote. Before that, blacks were subjected to threats and intimidation at the polling place, and at the mercy of poll taxes and other schemes to deny them the right to votes. And, I must repeat, this was not in 1865, lasted until 1964.
We live in a country where nooses are still hung up in workplace break rooms (WalMart), where minority workers are made to use certain bathrooms (Tyson), where white executives refer to black employees as jelly beans at the bottom of the bag (TEXACO), where blacks are denied applications for certain apartments (NALCO), where black defendants are more likely to be sentenced to death than white defendants.
Racism is a part of our complicated heritage.