I definitely think that historical events, rules, and laws still impact our society today. Our society was built on limiting the rights of those who were considered "inferior" and to this day, there is economic and social disparity created by past laws. White citizens were given a head start economically, and our system is still set up to limit people of color from the same opportunities for success. Our country was set up to ensure that people of color remain at economic disadvantage and that the cycle of poverty is as hard as possible to break (as evidenced by limiting access to loans, equal education, etc). The notion of white as "superior" was ingrained into our society and many unfortunately still hold on to this whether it is admitted or not.
