If you address and fix the source, fix the ignorance, then you won’t have the fear, or the hatred, or the destruction. “If you want to solve this problem, stop addressing the symptoms. “It culminated in destruction when a white supremacist got inside his car and tried to kill, murder as many protesters as he could,” Davis said. ![]() He cited communication as crucial to combat hate, more so since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017, which claimed the life of 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Davis said as a result of that friendship, Kelly eventually left the Klan and gave Davis his robes.ĭavis brought the robes to the stage during the event.ĭavis said Kelly and 200 other members he knew through the process of writing the book, left the Klan, many citing their friendship with Davis as the reason. Protecting historically repressed people is necessary if we want to get anywhere in the fight for social equality. Kelly even invited Davis to Klan rallies. On a less extreme note, engaging with people who hold bigoted views or support bigots is almost seen as taboo in many liberal activist circles. He said he and Kelly met frequently after that. If you don’t put a cap on that hatred, that hatred will breed destruction.” “If you don’t put a cap on that fear, if you don’t keep that fear in check, that fear will then breed hatred. But we’re not fighting, OK? This is a teaching moment.” But we are sitting in the same room, at the same table, having a conversation, agreeing on some things, disagreeing on other things. ![]() He’s the head of the Klan and I’m a black guy. He did the same with Bob White, a former Grand Dragon and ex-Baltimore police officer. He ends up inspiring hundreds of people to leave white supremacist groups. Davis famously killed former Imperial Wizard Roger Kelly with kindness, convincing him to leave the KKK. “We all began to laugh at how ignorant we all had been,” Davis said. 00:00 Show Description Transcript When a Black jazz musician meets a Klansman at a bar, his life takes a sudden turn. He said the meeting grew increasingly tense, and he said he heard a noise from Kelly that he perceived as ominous.ĭavis said he was ready to defend himself, and he said Kelly was also ready to retaliate when his secretary told them that the noise they were hearing was from ice melting in a bucket Davis used to cool soft drinks. The leader was with a Klan bodyguard, and Davis was with his secretary. The title of his presentation is “Klan-Destine Relationships.He told the story about meeting one Klan leader in Maryland, Roger Kelly, in a motel room. Finding that the Klan was entrenched not only in the Deep South but in his own neighborhood, he set out to meet Roger Kelly, Imperial Wizard of the Invincible. Davis seeks to empower others to confront their own prejudices and overcome their fears, establishing a common ground to help forge peace with even the most unlikely adversaries. Daryl Davis is a musician and author on the topic of race relations who has helped over 200 people leave the KKK and other white power movements, in Silver Spring, Md., on Monday, June 29, 2020. He has Klan robes and hoods hanging in his closet, given to him by members who have quit the Klan since coming to know him. Daryl Davis is a musician and author on the topic of race relations who has helped over 200 people leave the KKK and other white power movements, in Silver Spring, Md., on Monday, June 29, 2020. He believes that after decades of violence and hatred, racism can be overcome as we get to know one another on a social basis, not under a cover of darkness. ![]() This quest into the heart of ignorance and hatred gave Davis a ray of hope for harmony between races. Kelly even made Davis godfather to his child. Through Kelly and others, Davis began to explore the Klan, gaining real insight into its workings and members’ minds. TIL That Daryl Davis, an African American musician, is a close friends with KKK Imperial Wizard Roger Kelly. Over 30 years, Daryl Davis didn´t stop his journey and started converting more and white supremacists by just talking to them. After a couple of years, Roger Kelly quit (or got forced to quit) the clan. But this guy listens to me and respect me. Finding that the Klan was entrenched not only in the Deep South but in his own neighborhood, he set out to meet Roger Kelly, Imperial Wizard of the Invincible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Davis famously killed former Imperial Wizard Roger Kelly with kindness, convincing him to leave the KKK. On an interview given to CNN.com Roger Kelly said: We might disagree on many things. Driven by the need to understand those who, without ever having met him, hate him because of the color of his skin, Davis decided to seek out the roots of racism. ![]() Grammy Award-winning blues and R&B pianist Daryl Davis took an extraordinary journey into the heart of one of America’s most fanatical institutions.
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