You have to go one layer deeper. Is it fair to judge a historical figure for owning slaves in the 1600s? No. The ethical quandries of racism and the Abolitioni

You have to go one layer deeper. Is it fair to judge a historical figure for owning slaves in the 1600s? No. The ethical quandries of racism and the Abolitionist movement didn't start in earnest until the late 18th century. Is it fair to judge American historical figures for owning slaves at a time when half of the country had already made it illegal? YES. You're now judging that person by the standards of their time. See also, Christopher Columbus. Let's fast forward 200 years. Is it fair to judge someone for being racist if they've grown up in the deep south, and are a product of the Jim Crow era, and were surrounded by propaganda about how the Civil War was not fought over slavery, and so forth? No. Is it fair to judge the same person who goes to university, reads about the decades of systemic discrimination that endured even after ostensibly the Civil Rights Act passed, and whose reaction to "Black Lives Matter" is "No, All Lives Matter" based on an uncharitable superficial reading of the message? Yes. The question isn't about whether you hold some opinions today that are considered "not woke". The question is whether you are holding the line for progress too low: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiSiHRNQlQo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiSiHRNQlQo