I may be late on my response here. I am a history teacher and many historians have described how studying history has made them more liberal. The challenge I see is how to open students eyes to the complexity of the past. I have written elsewhere about this. The academy is split between the "optimistic" historians and the "pessimistic" historians. The real question for me is whether the Trump era is a "necessary" step backwards which reveals injustices so we can move forward or represents a "new normal" of more overt white supremacy.

Preaching personal responsibility is easy if you grew up in a supportive community with reasonable resources. Growing up with a parent in jail for a low level offense and experiencing the police as a threat not a support creates grave challenges for young people. My hope is that educators can help students understand the complexity of these questions so they can act with empathy towards a more inclusive and peaceful world.