> I think framing systems purely in 'Black ex-slaves' vs. 'The Others', presumably White is a bit misleading. Even if we could magically make racism disappear

> I think framing systems purely in 'Black ex-slaves' vs. 'The Others', presumably White is a bit misleading. Even if we could magically make racism disappear today, we would still have to deal with the legacy of racism. It affects everything from where people are today to the future they can build for their children. Take something as simple as wealth. It affects where people can afford to live, and those with children and the means will typically choose to live where they have access to better schools. We should also remember that these ethnic communities are not simply cute little bastions of cultural diversity or places where immigrants choose to settle to live among their own people. In some cases, those who live there had very little choice in where to settle. In some cases, they were told where to settle. Even if they were given a choice where to live and these ethnic communities emerged because it's where land was available when they arrived, we have to remember that immigration policies are frequently based upon race. Consider the prairie provinces of Canada, where there are various communities that have strong cultural ties. Many of those communities exist because particular peoples were allowed in at the end of the 19th century. Other communities never existed, since those peoples were not allowed in. We also need to remember that the diversity within a race is also meaningful. Think of it this way: we have Little Italy and Greek Town, but not Little Europe, since European cultures are distinct in our eyes. On the other hand, China Town arose since it is distinct from European culture yet it fails to consider the cultural diversity within China. If you're black, both cultural diversity and culture are typically overlooked altogether. A Little Ethiopia may sneak in here or there, but the acknowledgement of culture is usually overlooked all together. My apology for the rant, but I believe that the claims of racism are both historically valid and legitimate in the present. While monocultures are distressing, legitimizing segregation is also problematic.