Civil rights legislation passed in the mid-60s, but attitudes took longer to change.
And the institutions of racism linger to this day. Those include the continued presence of the Ku Klux Klan, which still exists, albeit far weaker than in its heyday.
One contributing factor: a successful lawsuit against the United Klans of America by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Morris Dees. Laurence Leamer's book The Lynching tells the story of the horrific crime that led to the lawsuit, and the suit's lingering impact.
The author brings his research to The Exchange.