Today the Ohio Civil Rights Commission ruled the landlord who posted a “White Only” sign at an apartment complex violated civil rights of the black girl it was intended to exclude. The fact someone would post such a sign today did not shock me; people do racist things in this imperfect world. However, the fact the sign said at the bottom “Selma, Ala” stunned me. The sign is from Selma, Alabama. It somehow migrated to Cincinnati, Ohio. Wouldn’t a reasonable person think twice and wonder, “Hmm, I’m about to post an antique “White Only” from Selma, Alabama on the pool, this could be a bad idea in 2011?” Then again, if someone is trying to ban a black girl from a pool because she believes the girl’s hair products will turn the pool cloudy, then the Edmund Pettus Bridge probably does not resonate. I guess the Southern Poverty Law Center study that found that a majority of states fail to teach the Civil Rights Movement adequately was right
