You raise some valid points, but as recently as 60 years ago (in living memory) there were laws on the books that ensured that blacks were on-average a lower cl

You raise some valid points, but as recently as 60 years ago (in living memory) there were laws on the books that ensured that blacks were on-average a lower class. Race, specifically African American race is tied to class in the US in ways that it's not in other countries.