racism in america

While looking for my essay on theft,
I found this tidbit on racism:

None of us have lived through
slavery, and those who did
missed something still more
vile. We are born into a human
condition, quite apart from
our choice or approval. For
the first time in history a
superpower has done without
slavery. Only a generation
removed, we will have pains.
But if the primary reaction to
this fact, of both white and
black, is not happiness, then
what hope can we have for our
future?

-Carl