Annette Gordon-Reed grew up in the East Texas town of Conroe, about 50 miles north of Houston. The first Black student to be integrated into the public schools, she was also immersed in the area’s vibrant Black community of educators and civic leaders. Still, segregation persisted. Through the lens of childhood, she recalls separate waiting rooms in clinics, designated seating in the balcony of theaters and disparate treatment at the local drugstore. She remembers the death threats directed at her family and the occasional racist outburst from a classmate.