Undeniably. But did you notice all the uh...racially-tinged criticism he got? Did you notice the people asking for his birth certificate? Or saying he wasn't American? Or that he was a Muslim terrorist? Did you notice Mitch McConnell saying that the sole goal of the Republican party should be to make sure that he was a one-term president? All this about one of the most charismatic, internationally beloved, statesman-like presidents in history. Did any of that stuff happen to any other presidents in your memory? Do you have any theories as to why?

Again, if you're going to judge whether racism is getting better, shouldn't your source be black people? Or at least measurable conditions for black people? You can't understand what life is like for other people if you only ever look at life from your frame of reference.

And yes, Hughes, Loury, Sowell etc, they're all great. I admire them all. But why is it that whenever I talk to certain white people about race, these are the only names that get mentioned? Maybe McWhorter and Steele as well. That's one side of the equation. One I largely (though definitely not completely) agree with. But if you're not at least giving other black voices an honest listen, you're not really interested in black voices. You're just looking for black people who say things that align with what you want to believe.

You think Loury et al have it exactly right and Kendi and Hannah-Jones and Sharpton have it exactly wrong? You think those latter voices have gotten so popular without represent a significant portion of the frustration and disenfranchisement that black people feel?

Again, I'm not trying to get on your case. I'm just saying. If you're claiming to think about this issue, then think about it. But don't fool yourself into believing you think about it when you only seek out black voices that say the right things.