The textbook stuff is really chilling. As readily accessible as information is on the internet, a lot of people never bother to question the ‘official version’ of things. It’s also very hard to search for information on topics that are never brought up.

If there’s a history book that doesn’t bring up the subject of lynchings, it’s unlikely students at that school will ever learn about the subject of lynchings. Which is one reason why To Kill a Mockingbird and other books from the time period provide a safeguard against such things. But they’re not in any way, shape, or form comparable to the information being delivered in a history class.

I don’t have enough contempt for those who would diminish the importance of the Civil Rights movement. One of the greatest periods in US history. One of the most amazing examples of the triumph of the good.