we got a canned set of people we were supposed to learn about

It occurs to me that our canned set of people were all African-Americans (I use this term advisedly, to make a point), to the point where if black people have ever existed outside of the United States (where they have a chance of being named individuals) and Africa (home of the origin race of Americans worthy of names), you would not guess it from my formal education.

I'm quite sure that's not just me: a surprising number of Americans, including at least one bestselling author, think Europe has historically been all white and that black people are an American phenomenon. I learned differently even as a kid, thanks to my mother teaching me this (no thanks to school!), but I admit that even though I've known this practically my whole life and can now name black individuals in historical Europe, I still need more of a conscious effort to *remember* this than I really should.

Speaking of problems with our educational system/cultural milieu.