I never said there was no progress, but there should have been more progress. You are arguing as if the current middle class is a reflection of people working hard as opposed to people finding success in spite of racism. African Americans would have more wealth if not for the systemic and institutional impediments put in their way. There would be more home ownership if they actually received the same access to lending. They would have more wealth if they received the same access in employment. This does not mean that there was no progress, but there should be a lot more progress. The fact that African Americans lag behind is primarily because of the racism that still exists. As you pointed out, there were huge gains made and those gains were made when there were racist laws and practices standing in the way. Many of the racist laws of the past have been outlawed, but that doesn't mean that such laws and practices no longer exist today. They still do exist.