Author tells of head-on approach to racism
Daryl Davis, a race relations author and piano man, captivated an audience at Chadron State College on Monday night with stories of his head-on approach to racism. Davis has become known for setting up surprise meetings with Ku Klux Klan leaders who were unaware of his skin color and attending KKK rallies to promote dialogue.
During the 140-minute presentation, he recounted his surprise encounters with white supremacists, showed the audience the recognizable white robes and pointed hats he’s collected from transformed Ku Klux Klan members, played clips of his appearances on CNN and “Geraldo,” and entertained the crowd of about 300 with a piano number.
He told of one of his most proud achievements, his role in the transformation of Roger Kelly. Kelly was once grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in Maryland.
Davis first met Kelly in a motel room after setting up an interview with the Klan leader without revealing his black skin color. Although the meeting had some tense moments, it served as the springboard for a unique relationship.
“By listening to each other, we built a mutual respect,” Davis said. “After that meeting, I said, ‘Roger Kelly is not a bad person, he just has some bad ideas.'”
Although he was against the Klan’s ideas, Davis began attending its rallies and even “hanging out” with Kelly on occasion. Kelly is just one of many lives Davis has persuaded through the years.
In addition to Kelly’s robe, he has been given about a dozen others and additional racist materials by those who have left the Klan. He said he will someday donate the items to a museum to help ensure that America never forgets that part of its history.
Davis said discussions about race are still “taboo” in our school system, much like sex education once was. He encouraged the audience, which consisted primarily of white students, to not be afraid to talk about race.
“We need to walk across the cafeteria, sit with someone else, learn something from them and allow them to learn something from us,” he said.
Davis, who now lives in Silver Spring, Md., described his 1998 book, “Klan-Destine Relations,” as the first of its kind because no black person had written a book about the Klan. He said it was rejected numerous times because it was perceived as controversial. One publisher rejected it as fiction.
Davis, who was brought to Chadron State in recognition of Black History Month, was scheduled to speak in Kearney on Tuesday.
Category: Campus News