Like many people, I’ve been thinking about our country’s 250th birthday and what it means. The other day I listened to a podcast conversation between Ezra Klein and Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. My wife and I visited both of these places a few years ago, and I was moved to tears. The exhibits on slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights struggle were devastating, but what struck me hardest were the everyday signs: “Colored” bathrooms, water fountains, swimming pools and signs that stated, simply “Coloreds not admitted.” These weren’t distant historical artifacts — they existed during my lifetime. I’m 74. I saw some of them myself growing up. I’m ashamed of that.k