He Convinced Hundreds Of Klansmen To Turn In Their Robes

daryl davis holding up kkk robes
Via Wikimedia Commons
The PushBlack Team
December 4, 2022

In 1983 musician Daryl Davis was approached in a bar by a white man. Davis warily accepted the man’s offer for drinks. 

Mid conversation the man handed Davis his card. The man was a member of the KKK.

Terrified, Davis pretended everything was fine for his own safety. Later, Davis’ fear turned to a morbid curiosity. 

He felt the interaction with the Klansman was positive and bigger than the two of them. As if this story couldn’t get more cringe, Davis took things a step further.

He went and knocked on the Klansman’s door, intent on infiltrating the KKK. Incredibly, the Klansman welcomed him and connected him with the KKK’s Grand Dragon. But it gets weirder.

Davis and the grand dragon had heated debates about race, but Davis wouldn’t give up. Instead of arguing, he listened, realizing that if the Grand Dragon felt he was being heard it would be easier to later “plant a seed of doubt” within his argument. We don’t know Davis’ motives, but one thing is true.

Today in the “Google is your friend” era, it’s not our responsibility to do this labor with white people, especially if we don’t have the emotional capacity. Let’s use our energy to organize our own communities!

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