Is there racism involved in the narration of Tom’s evolution?

One argument in regard to racism and Tom's evolution over the course of the novel is that Tom's flawed character is the product of his inherent "slave" or "black" qualities. This would be in line with the racist views widely held in the American South during the Nineteenth Century. Indeed, Tom's own mother, Roxy, suggests precisely this. She hypothesizes that it is Tom's "blackness" which has made him such a coward.