Every week on Make Me Smart, we ask an expert, celebrity, author or other prominent figure: “What’s something you thought you knew but later found out you were wrong about?” It’s called the Make Me Smart question.

Now it’s LeVar Burton’s turn. The actor, director, TV host and literacy enthusiast reflects on what he got wrong about his country.

I thought I knew America was always seeking its highest reflection of itself. And what I have come to find out is that that is part of the dream. But there has always been resistance to America, realizing its most full potential as a free society, right? So I thought I knew what America was, and was all about. And I recognize now that I didn’t, that there was a lot more that I needed to know about my country before fully and completely understanding her.

You can share your answer to the Make Me Smart question by leaving us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email a voice memo to makemesmart@marketplace.org.