Wright refers to the "Jim Crow" laws that were in effect in the South from 1877 until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. During his youth, lynchings of African Americans for minor or imaginary offenses were common, and Wright's own uncle was murdered in a racial attack. With this in mind, why might Wright's school friends and family feel anxious and suspicious toward him for publishing his story? Why might this be risky behavior for a young African American in Mississippi?