We were talking about his grandparents and their parents. Slavery was not so long ago that it could have no traceable impact on those generations. Same goes for the current generation and the impact the pre-civil rights era has on their parents and grandparents. 

How little you think those those impact society today for people of color is a textbook example of your white privilege. It's so hard to understand how any of those things can impact someone because they are so far away from it impacting you. It seems inconceivable. It doesn't mean you're intentionally malicious. 

I'm not disagreeing that the current generation has it FAR better than previous generations. However, it's foolish to think society has balanced itself out and the effects of racism are gone.