When newly-confirmed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos arrived at Jefferson Academy in Washington last week, her access was briefly blocked by group of protesters. DeVos, a controversial figure because of her support for programs like school choice, took the incident in stride.

While it was only a speed bump compared to the Senate hearing she endured, the protest conjured up memories of a past many have worked to forget. It wasn’t too long ago that Alabama Gov. George Wallace secured his place in history when he, like the DeVos protesters, sought to block access to a public school in 1963.