The day after the Super Bowl is always an interesting time to visit social media. From armchair quarterbacks critiquing every play, die-hard football fans trying to convince everyone that there was a bias against their team and those who simply watch the game for the halftime performance and the commercials, it is not difficult to find strong opinions on the internet.

As Donald J. Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on—of all days—the day we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—I find myself thinking of my parents. My parents were born in a small town in Mississippi in the early 20th century, during the Jim Crow era—when racial discrimination against Black
Americans was both law and public policy. But although my parents experienced the devastating effects of state-sponsored racism firsthand, they rarely talked about it. They focused instead on teaching their children to take advantage of opportunities for
education and employment that had been denied to them by law.

I state at the outset of this blog that I am no expert.  I am simply a man with a set of experiences and perspectives who like any other, strives to understand the dynamics of the reality he lives in.

I attended the Juneteenth ceremony at the state capital and was buoyed by the participants. From the children who read their essays, to the politicians who took the time to appear, to the panel of noteworthy Black people that shared their perspectives and experiences.

But through all that, I kept coming back to my own collected thought that I refer to as cultivated ignorance. With every word spoken and every question answered I kept coming back to that phrase.