These protests feel different because they’re shifting public opinion

To sustain the current anti-racism movement, look to the past, says professor Megan Ming Francis.

When protests for black lives erupted across the country in May, the images were inspiring if not surprising: In big cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC, protesters filled massive boulevards for miles in the middle of a pandemic. Meanwhile, in small, mostly white towns across the country, hundreds of people gathered to chant “Black lives matter” and “no justice, no peace” in the middle of the day. It felt like a moment...