What the heck!? Why are people viewing systemic racism and economic inequality as separate issues?
They are distinct issues, and can happen independently of each other. But they are also inextricably linked, and mutually reinforce each other.
On one hand, you have class-reductionists who say racism is merely an outgrowth of broader economic oppression. On the other hand, you have identity politics radicals who say systemic racism is THE fundamental problem is society, and everything should be viewed from a race-conscious perspective.
Both perspectives are stupid, naive, and short-sighted. We cannot address one without the other. Martin Luther King Jr. articulated this very well, saying, “Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality. For we know that it isn’t enough to integrate lunch counters. What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?”
Martin Luther King Jr. argued that the current economic system was rigged, and that we should move toward a "democratic socialism." In the weeks leading up to his assassination, MLK Jr. made it clear that economic issues became the central focus of his advocacy. MLK Jr. gave an excellent speech about the "other America," and was about to launch a "Poor People's Campaign," seeking to completely eradicate poverty for everyone, not only for blacks, but also for latinos, native americans, and poor appalachian whites. MLK Jr. hit the nail on the head when he said, "This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor.” MLK Jr. advocated for a government jobs guarantee and a guaranteed minimum income (or basic income). When poverty, economic inequality, low social mobility, poorly funded schools, city zoning regulations, poor healthcare, unemployment, lack of affordable housing, and predatory lending disproportionately marginalize people of color, when the youth African-American unemployment rate is 51%, of course economics matter a lot if we're aiming to uplift PoC. When you poll PoC on what issues they care about most, the economy and jobs are almost always at top.
It is largely useless to address systemic anti-black racism without taking on economic inequality. Similarly, it is useless to address economic inequality without addressing anti-black structural racism. Making college tuition-free won't change the fact employers both consciously and unconsciously discriminate against people with "black-sounding" names, even if they are equally qualified as whites. And Sandra Bland had a college degree, yet she still was assaulted by a cop. Economic reforms won't stop racial profiling by police in stop-and-frisk, or police being 21 times more likely to kill black teens than white teens. It won't change the fact that whites and blacks use drugs at the same rates, but blacks are arrested 4-6 times as much. Economics alone won't fix segregated schooling and housing. We need booth economic and racial justice, and it is important for progressives to not view these issues as mutually exclusive, but intimately intertwined. A particularly grotesque example of racism and unfettered capitalism mixing is the existence of private, for-profit prisons.
The progressive movement will honestly die if it breaks off into an "economic reform" faction and a "racial justice faction." If that happens, progressives can't accomplish anything, and we'll be divided while a unified GOP comes to power and screws us all over.
As Robert Reich said, "But it would be a terrible mistake for the progressive movement to split into a “Black lives matter” movement and an “economic justice” movement. This would only play into the hands of the right. For decades Republicans have exploited the economic frustrations of the white working and middle class to drive a wedge between races, channeling those frustrations into bigotry and resentment. In short, the Republican strategy has been to divide-and-conquer. They want to prevent the majority of Americans – poor, working class, and middle-class, blacks, Latinos, and whites -- from uniting in common cause against the moneyed interests. We must not let them."
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You must be paying attention!
I had pledged to myself I wouldn't engage this topic ever again ... You was going to limit my participation to the historical stuff in the AA Group and the Cute Animal thread.
Then, you go a credit/blame me, and others, for your new understanding! 
Although, I would have left the part about MLK out of it.
That part comes off as lecturing about MLK's legacy.
