Something that I found interesting about both Song of Solomon and Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail was the concept of racial memory. Both mention the idea of the importance of ancestry, something that I do not understand. Perhaps it is because I am not close with my extended family but I think that the concept of racial memory is a part of the African American experience which is distinctly different then the experience of Caucasians. Because racial memory is so important I don't think you can expect African Americans to easily forget the cruelty of centuries ago.