You are asking in good faith, so please don’t take this the wrong way.
I can give you one clue: from your comment I already know that you are a white American, and that the “well-educated, intelligent people [you] know” are also overwhelmingly white. Ask yourself: how do I know this? It’s because never in a million years would an African-American, or Muslim American, or Native American, say something like that. Non-white Americans experience racism, both overt and subtle, every day. Most White Americans are oblivious to it because they live in a highly segregated society, and they don’t have any close friends or family experiencing it. So they perpetuate the myth of a “colorblind society” - the idea that race doesn’t matter in America anymore. And by denying the problem, we are doomed to perpetuate it.
I recommend reading White Rage by Carol Anderson, it’s a good introduction to the topic. Every American should get educated on race relations 101. You can’t understand the USA without understanding the role racism plays in its history and institutions.
I can give you one clue: from your comment I already know that you are a white American, and that the “well-educated, intelligent people [you] know” are also overwhelmingly white. Ask yourself: how do I know this? It’s because never in a million years would an African-American, or Muslim American, or Native American, say something like that. Non-white Americans experience racism, both overt and subtle, every day. Most White Americans are oblivious to it because they live in a highly segregated society, and they don’t have any close friends or family experiencing it. So they perpetuate the myth of a “colorblind society” - the idea that race doesn’t matter in America anymore. And by denying the problem, we are doomed to perpetuate it.
I recommend reading White Rage by Carol Anderson, it’s a good introduction to the topic. Every American should get educated on race relations 101. You can’t understand the USA without understanding the role racism plays in its history and institutions.