14 Comments

Bravo Andrew!! The fight to eliminate racial inequality is an ongoing battle. We must continue to push against the cruel onslaught to rewrite history! Your article pushes against the assault. Thank you for your willingness to enlighten us!

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Thanks for taking the time to read it and share your encouraging thoughts. I really appreciate it!

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An excellent and disturbing history lesson, Andrew. Pray that we are not condemned to repeat it!

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Disturbing indeed. The Redemption movement was incremental and driven by wrong-headed beliefs—and folks back then didn’t even have The Internet. Thanks for taking the time to read. And for your kind words about the piece.

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I like your idea of celebrating our county’s history - the good and the bad- for 2 weeks every year. We should own the dark times and celebrate the progress we have made together, all Americans. I learned a lot I didn’t know reading this essay. Thank you, Andrew.

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Thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad you like the idea of a 2-week celebration of our nation's freedom. Even if it's never official, it wouldn't be a bad thing to keep in mind.

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This excellent article is exactly the reason why I am so fearful of the rise of the current version of the Republican Party and the acceptance of DJT as their leader. Those who do not fear that we can lose our democracy as we have known it, flawed as it has been, do not understand the history recorded in this article. We lost our toehold on banishing all forms of slavery following Juneteenth and we will do it again if we don't use our vote in 2024 to stamp out autocratic, nationalist, racist politics.

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The current wave of populism looks a lot like the mindlessness that's marked our history. Those of us who are aware of what's happened before can see the writing on the wall. Freedom-loving people, those of us who love democracy despite its flaws, really do need to remain vigilant through this turbulent time. Thanks so much for reading and for sharing your thoughts.

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Astounding and insightful, the American story is one of discovery and disturbing truth

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It's good to have the perspective of someone from across the pond, David. Thanks for taking the time to read and weigh in.

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Here to learn from your wise perspective Andrew, James Baldwin also opened my eyes love his work

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Thanks again, David. Baldwin is one of my heroes. I love his work too!

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It's shocking how similar the modern right's "talking points" are to the propaganda of the Redemption era. This underscores the importance of fighting the resurgence of the supremacists today,, and especially the urgency of defeating the censors of history. Our past is disturbing; all the more reason to not bury it.

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Shocking indeed. The echoes of the past are couched in different terms and phrases today. But disenfranchisement and censorship look the same no matter what you call it. I fully agree that we need to own our past, despite its disturbing aspects.

Thanks for taking the time to read and to share your thoughts. And also for hitting the SHARE button. I've just seen it pop up on Twitter and will retweet it in a bit. Much appreciated.

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