The plantation was built on the backs of Africans. As Dr. Claud Anderson makes clear, free Black labor produced white wealth. For decades, Whites have benefited from a society with special privileges and preferences. Let us be real clear about racism. We are not simply talking about hating your neighbor.
Racism is a system in which special advantages are set aside for certain racial groups.
During segregation, it was illegal for a Black-owned cab to pick up fares outside the Black Pitts Hills district of Pittsburgh. In other works, the law protected white-owned cab from fair competition. The larger economic pie was set aside for Whites only. As a result of that kind of social engineering, many businesses that exist to this day owe their start-up and growth to America's racist legacy. Businesses like the major department store chains boast of their humble beginnings and hard work, but they are in fact the beneficiaries of laws and social policies that set aside bank loans, real estate locations, sales territory, as well as education and training for Whites only.