Five hundred years ago, not too far from my current home, a small-framed Spaniard led an expedition through the New World. Along the way, he met many Native American tribes, often employing a brutal tactic in his interactions with them. Holding their leader hostage, he demanded that the tribe provide men for porters and women…

I referred to the man in the photo as “The guy with the thousand-yard stare.” The old black-and-white photo depicted a protest march on the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse in April 1964. The man with the “stare” stood out as the only white guy in a large group of protesters. The look of fear on his…