I was lucky. I had a fantastic fifth grade teacher who angered my parents by sending us home for lunch (I lived a few blocks from my school) with anti-Vietnam black armbands.

That same teacher heaped praise on John Brown, and even analyzed the famous mural, "The Tragic Prelude."

My parents really hated that teacher. They were very conservative. I'll never forget him.

It's possible he's a big reason why I never bought into my parents' racism, but I don't know exactly.