In order to effectively fight racism, we must learn from the past. Contrary to the popular saying, historians are quick to point out that history does not, in fact, repeat itself. Historical events are too circumstantial and too contingent on a multitude of factors, decisions, actors, and conditions to ever simply repeat. But history does rhyme. We can hear cadences and syncopations of the past in the present. Learning about history is more than learning about what has happened before, it is about understanding what is happening now.
