Yes. Many baby boomers (and their parents) are racist as fuck. Especially in the south.

the civil rights movement has been incredibly whitewashed in US education. Americans were overwhelmingly against de-segregation, there was tons of violence against black Americans, and that violence was not solely committed by police officers.

The Klan might seem like a relic of the past now, but the KKK was incredibly powerful during the 50s and 60s, to the point where in my home state, 1/3 of men were Klansmen and were a significant political bloc. They weren't just voting in politicians that supported their vile views though, they were lynching people and burning crosses on lawns and shit.

It's so unbelievably fucked up to me that this is a surprise for you.

Yep, they are protesting for a real cause^/s^