Answer:
It depends on the context, but in general my opinion is closest to statement 2, being "we have made some progress, but we still have a lot of work left to do. There is some racial equality in this country, but nowhere near enough."
Then again that could also depend on in what places. In some places in the US I have traveled there is little to no racial equality, and in others there is equality. So having statement 2 as the average seems to work.