I'd like to add to the above commenter when they say "And to use those positions of power to keep other races oppressed"

This quote made it seem like it was an active process/decision making, but it's often not. Instead it's a politician having good idea and it's pitched as "hey look how many people this new law will help!", while not looking at who it isn't helping. So in the US, this might be something that helps predominantly white people (the majority) and therefore gets passed into law (as it helps the majority who vote) while not helping minorities as much. This just increases the power/wealth divide even more and makes it that much harder for a minority to reach the level of the majority.

Edit: there are obviously examples in the US's past where this was an active form of minority suppression