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Racial inequality in the United States is alive and well. White people, whether they believe it or not, still think of themselves as superior to the blacks. This started early in American history with black slaves and has carried on to this day as if it were a genetic flaw. And this notion is only reinforced with todays news. We constantly hear how poorly black children are doing in school compared to whites. How many more blacks live in poverty. How black neighborhoods are the most dangerous places in the U.S.

Just look at the slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Over 1800 people were killed. Thousands were left homeless with no place to go and nothing to eat or drink. Many were trapped in their homes for days. The federal and state governments were pitiful in their response. President Bush stayed on vacation. And the first action he finally took was just to fly over New Orleans. It took days for the National Guard to enter the city. Most of the victims were poor black people.

Then look at the response to the wildfires in southern California this year. The state government followed by the federal government were quick to get into action. Almost a million people were evacuated, but they all had places to go. They were greeted with food, water, and even diapers once they arrived at the shelters. Even the animals were looked after. The Army and National Guard were on the ground within three days. President Bush was on the ground among the burned-out houses in less than a week. Very few were killed. In this case, most of the victims were white people who ranged from well-off to the wealthy.

Take a look at American cities. Detroit, for example, is a city of racial inequality. Attend at Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Tigers play major-league baseball. Most of the patrons are white, while almost all of the food and drink servers are black. Follow Jefferson Av E eastbound from downtown. You will travel through a squalled black area where buildings are boarded up and gas station attendants are protected by bullet-proof glass. Then you will cross over the railway tracks into a white middle-class neighborhood. The houses are neat and tidy with nearby parks. Then the road turns north and becomes Lakeshore Rd. It travels along the Detroit River with huge mansions on the west side of the road. They get an unobstructed view of the river.

Abraham Lincoln, in a debate on September 18, 1858, said, "...there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race..." Here is a man, who is honored by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, who wanted freedom for the black slaves, but refused to give them equality. That was America in 1858 and that is America in 2007.

Learn more about this author, Gary Betts.
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