We have heard the argument that minorities cannot get ahead without the assistance that affirmative action gives them, because America has not changed much since the days of slavery and of segregation. But America has changed a lot since those dark days. What has happened since the 1960s and the Civil Rights Act is that programs that were designed to give oppressed groups a helping hand as a means of getting ahead has become an end in and of itself. Yet we must address the reason why people believe otherwise. Their perceptions are just as important as the truth.
People see and believe what they want.
I don't claim to have all the answers, but the solutions laid out above are steps in the right direction. Working together, honestly and in good faith, will bring us closer to our goal.