"Black people get 20% longer prison sentences for the same crimes even when you control for criminal history" Why "Even" ? It does not say anything about racis

"Black people get 20% longer prison sentences for the same crimes even when you control for criminal history" Why "Even" ? It does not say anything about racism if you do not control for other factors, like criminal history and society inclusion. It's phrased as if it would still hold without control variable, and the author is doing a favor to potential nitpicker. It may be true, but the "Even" does not make me confident of the scientific value of the publication and the absence of confirmation bias of the author.