My grandparents were poor (they grew up during the Depression), but they weren't dirty, they didn't collect welfare, they didn't blow off school (and use some bullshit excuse like, "Our school don't get no money"), they didn't blame an ethnic group for "holding them down," and their parents worked (sometimes 3 and 4 jobs). The difference? My grandparents are white. Blacks have taken longer to rise in socio-economic status not because of racism, but because they didn't work hard enough. Look at all the other people who've come to this nation and thrived after experiencing prejudice. It's good to see that blacks are finally starting to ascend to the middle class (based on 2000 census data, more blacks than ever are college-educated and earn middle incomes).
The financial conditions that tens of thousands of whites had to endure in the 30s were no different than the ghettos of today. The difference is obvious. (some) Blacks just don't give a shit about themselves, or their surroundings.