In Attack of the Black Rectangles, Mac Delaney and his friends participate in several protests and demonstrations to show their concern about the censorship at his school and about teaching lies or neglecting to teach the truth about historical events in schools. Within the novel, the clearest example of this is the way Ms. Sett teaches that Christopher Columbus discovered America and that his achievements should be celebrated. Mac consistently questions his teacher’s approach, to her annoyance. As they raise awareness about the issues they care about, Mac and his friends draw more people to the cause and find strength as a group.

The protests that Mac participates in bring him closer to his friends, family, and community, and they are directly inspired by his grandad’s involvement in the protests and activism of the countercultural movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Mac’s grandad is a Vietnam War veteran and participated in several protests when he returned from duty. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of great social tension and change. During that time period, the civil rights movement inspired a generation of people to question and challenge authority and demand to be heard.