As for the show, I tried to get into it... but, even after having watched the original movie, I was still confused. When I watch TV these days, I do it to stop thinking... not increase it. So I gave up on the show.
As for the massacre, I wondered if that was an actual event or not... but then I forgot to look it up. Now I have (at a different site than Wiki), and it is just awful. Unbelievable- to me- that people can treat other people that way. This country certainly does have a horrific history of these kinds of events. I just can't fathom the kind of thinking that a person must have to do this to a fellow human being. But, considering that this was less than a 100 years ago (and not EVER talked about), I can understand why some African Americans have such a high level of distrust of white people. These events- as painful as they are to bring to light- really should be taught: so that (white) people can see how horrible these past of acts of racism were, and- hopefully- learn from them: to not act (or think) like that again.
As an aside: it appears that all of this started with a false allegation of wrongdoing (by a white girl vs. a black man). Another lesson that can (and should) be learned from this event is that "we" really should wait until all the facts come out, regardless of who is being accused. We are too quick- today- to assume guilt (or innocence) based on various personal beliefs, rather than on facts. I know that that's probably asking too much... but a guy can dream.