We have a long way to go in eliminating the residues of bigotry from our institutions — some, such as law enforcement, more than others. But compared to 1960, it is difficult to conclude that the racism that remains in this country — and it is still considerable, especially in some areas — can be fairly categorized as “systemic.” To the contrary, what has become systemic over the past 60 years is anti-racism. The laws have changed. Policies have changed. Practices and attitudes have changed, though not enough. We are a very different country systemically. Racism no longer has the imprimatur of law, politics, religion or the media. It comes primarily from the bottom up, rather than the top down. In 1960 and before, candidates and other leaders would proudly proclaim their racist beliefs. Today, those who still harbor such beliefs need to hide them precisely because racism is no longer systemically accepted, as it was as recently as 60 years ago. So, no, we are not the systemically and top-down racist country we once were. We have become a systemically top-down anti-racist country with far too much bottom-up racism that we must end, especially in some important areas like law enforcement. But let’s not deny the real progress we have made as we celebrate our newest national holiday.