History will always be judged by the current generation. What is happening in America will be judged by those who fallow us in generations to come. Our children, their children, and our grandchildren's children will look back at the actions of today and judge us not on our desires, hopes, and wishes, but on the final products that were implemented to reflect those desires, hopes, and wishes. We may be praised or we may be called "fools", but the judgements will not be ours, but theirs.
Conformity is the enemy of individuality. You cannot be unique while simultaneously trying to be like everyone else. By default, if you want to be unique, to be the best you can be, and to use the gifts that are uniquely yours, you must first recognize you are uniquely different. America has always been uniquely different from the rest of the world and so are their people. If you have never traveled outside of America you have no personal point-of-reference and to judge that which you have little knowledge is unwise.
How can we say there is "systemic" anything when every culture in America has been fractured into macro and micro subcultures? Very little of daily life resembles what the original colonists experienced when they came to this country. They founded laws and statutes that supported the norms of their culture and reflected that time in history. America's evolution has been changing those societal norms as each generation that followed has implemented new generational norms. This is partially what makes America so uniquely different from the rest of the world: Every generation has influenced changes in laws and regulations established by the cultural and societal norms of their time. America used to be known as "the melting pot" because it reflected all of the traditions and influences of the entire population during that particular time in history. Today, the freedom of expression is a key indicator of how far America has come from the traditions of the first settlers.
We need to stop beating up the generations of the past or criticize them by today's standards. We shouldn't minimize the truth but we shouldn't rewrite history either. If we don't keep what was true, how can we learn from our mistakes? Altering the facts only causes confusion. Let history stand accurately, adding truth where there are gaps or inaccuracies (not deleting), so we may implement measures to improve laws and statutes that correct the problems of the past, not cover them up. Our individual goals should be to remain unique, different, and set apart, and this will differentiate America from other nations. In doing so, we may be an example to the world how to live in peace while embracing each other's uniqueness. Then, we will be able to make real change.
If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can't, you can't. If you believe you won't, you won't. Whatever you believe you will manifest into your reality.
You hold the key to the prison you choose to remain locked in.