Tis not stylish to say that racism was a small factor. But you also do have to look at broad decline of American manufacturing, the effect of broadly-available air-conditioning in the south and west, white flight [[sure, part racism, mostly escape from real crime as in my strongly liberal family), impact of freeways to the American Dream, low-tax, large yard 'burbs, and a large dash of racism.
Fortunately, racism has been mostly eliminated -- except in the small minds of those who seek power or disruption who are enjoying sowing division. Mostly. Not completely.
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