Outstanding piece, Katherine. I grew up in the South in the 60’s surrounded by racism. I spoke up often and loudly. But in my 20’s, married to a good ole boy redneck who leaned right in military matters and left in social matters, I sat quietly while his extremely racist family and our racist neighbors and friends made comments that I would never allowed to go by in my teens.

Having an emotionally distant family, most of whom I didn’t like much, I wanted to be accepted so badly by those who mattered to my husband that I said nothing. Those memories from long ago still raise the heat of shame on my face.