Presented as the first event of the Student Diversity and Inclusion Council's celebration of Black History Month, Daryl Davis, author, lecturer and Grammy Award-winning musician, spoke on Thursday, Feb. 2 in Wygal Auditorium. Davis recalled his experiences with members of the Ku Klux Klan while writing his book, "Klan-Destine Relations." Davis has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS, PBS, BBC, NPR, Good Morning America, various university campuses nationwide, and more.
The Longwood website says, "The book subtitled ‘A Black Man's Odyssey in the Klu Klux Klan' chronicles Davis' attempt to seek out the roots of racism and foster racial harmony by forming relationships with Klan members."
Director of Diversity and Inclusion and co-chair of the Student Diversity and Inclusion Council Dr. Jamie Riley said, "We want to celebrate the legacy of black culture through all the activities that we will offer for you this month or in an effort to educate you [and] inform you about various aspects and experiences of individuals from the African dynasty."
According to Riley, Davis has spoken at Longwood University in previous years for events, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium and New Lancer Days.
Davis educated the audience on the hierarchy and history of the Ku Klux Klan. "Today, there is no such thing any longer as the K Klux Klan. There are many Ku Klux Klan [splinter] groups." Davis explained that the by-laws and inner workings (e.g., robes, secret handshakes, etc.) remain the same, but "they are distinctly separate groups." Davis also showed to the audience actual robes and hoods of previous members of the Klan who had resigned through Davis' influence.
Throughout the night, Davis shared how he began his project to understand the Ku Klux Klan, his experiences with the members therein and his own experiences while growing up.
With parents in the Foreign Service, Davis grew up in various countries, never experiencing racism until the age of 10 in America in the year 1968 when rocks and bottles were thrown at him as he participated in a Cub Scouts parade.
"I thought, ‘Why are people attacking the Scouts?' I did not realize that I was the only Scout being hit until my then mother and Cub Master … huddled over me and swerved me out of danger," said Davis.
Gaining an interest in learning about the perspectives of others, such as supremacists and separatists, Davis discovered that all of the books centered on the Ku Klux Klan through information gained by conversations with the members were written by white authors. He discovered that there were no books on the subject by African-Americans who had actually conversed with the members one on one. "I read all my research on the Klan, but I wanted to approach real live Klan members and talk to them," he said.
While knowing that he would experience conflict with Klan members due to the color of his skin, Davis was still determined to learn and to understand. According to Davis, "I never set out to convert anybody." He said he intended to discover how the Klan members could hate someone they have never met. Davis said, "While my initial quest was to gather information for my book, I saw how sitting down and talking to people one on one was beneficial for both of us. The most important thing that I learned was that while you are actively learning about someone else, at the same time, you are passively teaching them about yourself."
Over the years of interviewing members of the Ku Klux Klan for his book, Davis was able to shift the mentalities and beliefs of the members from that of hatred and racism to that of friendship and understanding. Davis said, "My goals evolved as my interviews evolved."
Comparing racism to cancer, Davis stated, "It is not the elementary school bully. It is not the common cold or the headache. If you ignore it, it will not go away. Discrimination is a cancer. If you don't treat it, it will metastasize … It will spread and consume."
"Education is the key," said Davis when explaining that the root of racism is ignorance that then shifts into fear, then hatred and then destruction.
After he formed friendships with Klan members, Davis said he found "He [Roger Kelly, former Imperial Wizard] and I had more in common than we did in contrast. Most of what we had in contrast centered around race."
While becoming friends with Roger Kelly, the Imperial Wizard, or national leader, of the Invincible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Davis said, "He respected me." He explained that he allowed Kelly to argue his views while arguing his own, each maintaining polite disagreements.
Upon approaching individuals with different viewpoints, Davis said to" allow them to air their point of view. If you agree with them, fine. And if you don't agree with them, that's fine too. You challenge them, but you do not challenge them violently or rudely."
Davis noted that he has dealt with controversy for his actions, being described as "strange."
He responded, "If getting people to give up beliefs that are associated with things like this … is strange, then we all need to be strange because there's no room in our society for this kind of belief."
Davis suggested reaching out to others about any kind of conflict. "Give that person an opportunity to explain their position," he said. "And you listen, and then you explain yours. Now, as long as you're talking, you're not fighting, and that's how results are accomplished."
After the event, Dr. Riley said, "For most of our lives, we've been taught negative things for people who belong to the Ku Klux Klan, and I think today Mr. Davis showed that everyone is an individual, and everyone has a heart and everyone has the ability to change … because someone may have done something or been part of something you don't agree with, but if you take the time to really get to know them and speak to them, you'll learn that at the end of the day, you have more in common than you think."
Davis said that those with questions or comments may email him at daryl@daryldavis.com. If interested in learning more about Daryl Davis and his profession as a musician, lecturer or author, find out more at his website, www.daryldavis.com.
