I do believe that history plays a part in the beliefs and behaviors of people today but I also think that the people around you and the lack of desire or willingness to educate yourself also plays a part as well. Growing up in the south, I wasn't taught about the Civil War; instead we learned about the war of Northern aggression and that the war was more about states rights than it was slavery. I was taught that slavery was a byproduct of the war and not the cause of the war. My Northern family was outwardly very racist (and still are) but my Southern family was adept at disguising their racism in microaggressions. My parents were the oddballs in their families because they fought for Civil Rights and they raised me to believe that the color of your skin didn't mean you were better or worse than anyone else. The thing that stood out to me the most in this module was that white America has been systematically trying to root out the perceived "evils" of people of color for centuries. As soon as one thing doesn't work anymore, they constantly change the rules or move the line. I was also struck by the imagery of a foundation and how our laws are not dysfunctional because they are functioning exactly as they were written to keep white America superior and in control.
