Michelle Kuo went to the Mississippi Delta to teach African American literature, using both classic and contemporary texts to help her students better understand American history.

She grew up in western Michigan in the 1980s, not long after the murder of Vincent Chin, who was bludgeoned to death by White, racist auto industry workers who blamed the Japanese and the popularity of their cars for the decrease in jobs. Chin was Chinese American, and his killers served no jail time. Kuo’s parents told her this story, as well as that of a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student who had shown up to the wrong house for a Halloween party, dressed as John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever, and was shot dead by a White man who claimed that he was protecting his property. This killer, too, was acquitted. The Kuos told their daughter these stories to help her learn that she needed to be careful.

Education, the Kuos believed, would further insulate their daughter from harm. They emphasized math, particularly, because one didn’t need to know English to understand it. Michelle read many books growing up, though she took time to learn to speak. She gravitated to the writings of Martin Luther King, Jr.