Racism was very prevalent in America in the past. However, the state of racism in the present may alarm you.
In the past, black people had little freedom, even being restricted in which seats they could sit in on the bus. While that is not so now, black people are far more likely than others to be pulled over by the police. In the past, the Ku Klux Klan lynched (hung) black people. Currently, they are an underground organization, but they still exist! Finally, in the past black people were required to use different facilities (especially bathrooms) than those used by white people. This is one thing that has greatly improved.