The real race problem in the US — economics.
And despite Booker T. Washington‘s approach, African-Americans are getting the short-end of the paycheck stick.
An UN Report today:

• Levels of economic disparity in major US cities, including New York and Washington DC, are comparable to those of African cities, a United Nations report has concluded.
  The UN-Habitat report “State of the World’s Cities” released on Thursday said that, while the US has less poverty than many cities in the developed world, inequality is high, rising above the international “alert” line.
  …
  “The life expectancy of African Americans in the United States is about the same as that of people living in China and some states of India, despite the fact that the United States is far richer than the other two countries,” it said.

And this is a built-in problem, festering for generations and not a spark off the current financial shit-storm.
The future of US cities is bleak.