No, counteracting racism (which has to happen based on race, any other way doesn't make sense) is most certainly not racist.
AA is not reparations, it tries to correct for existing racism.
AA is not reparations, it tries to correct for existing racism.
That is racism.
And there are other ways. You punish people who are racist and you acknowledge that as the reason for their punishment, but you help people based on their situation. If they happened to be in that situation because of previous racism, that in no way has to be taken into account in how they are treated going forward to help their current situation.
Sorry, but as soon as you use race as a means to classify another person for a decision you need to make, whether your intentions are good or not, you are being racist, and you are perpetuating the line of thought that is at the root of the problem.
In any case, according to this research, Obama's first term didn't improve racist attitudes in America.
Prejudice has risen since 2008 Obama victory:
https://bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/10/27/poll-majority...
Remember, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Ideally I'd just like to see a society where race is hardly ever even talked about. It should be as significant as hair color (as another commenter mentioned). We won't get to that point if decisions are made based on race. As soon as you do that, then others will do it. And race will never cease to be a discriminating factor in human relations.