I've always believed you have to fix yourself before you can start worrying about fixing others. Absolutely I believe racism still exists in this country, but not at the level some like to claim. If the black community turned the spotlight upon themselves first, and worked towards ending the hate that exists within their own communities, they'd find more success at defeating racism by defeating stereotypes. Let's be real, black on black violence exists as much as racism, and IMO, is more prominent, especially in places like Chicago, or cities dominated by gang culture. It is an ugly truth, just as racism is an ugly truth, but a truth that must be faced.
I've known young black men and women who have been taught to hate and distrust white people, just as I have known young white men and women taught to hate and distrust black people. The cycle on both sides needs to be broken, but you're more likely to find success breaking the cycle on whichever side you fall. We should all be one people. There's nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage, but before you identify as black, white, red, yellow, brown, or any color under the sun, you should first identify as being human. In that, we are all brothers and sisters. We should concentrate more on what makes us the same, and less on what makes us different. But because we have spent so much of history focusing on those differences, we must work within ourselves, within our communities, to make change, and stop demanding change from others when we are so unwilling to bend ourselves. Change comes from all sides, not one side. Expectations one side change while all others remain the same are unrealistic.
Real change comes through conversation and compromise. Violence begets more violence, and does more to stoke the fires of enmity than it does actual change. Those who argue the legitimacy of violent change ignore the simmering tensions that always lie beneath, waiting to boil over and erupt in more violence. People will always hate those they see as oppressors, And violence always leads to someone feeling oppressed, beaten down, forced into submission.
Most people want a better world. Most people want to live in peace. We may have different ideas on how to get there, but most of us want the same things.