November Column Winner

Taking inspiration from a Black man who befriends white supremacists

By Art Haddaway, Owasso Reporter 

I recently watched an inspirational video about a Black man who has devoted his life to breaking down the walls of racial divide by befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan. 
Daryl Davis started attending KKK rallies in the mid-1980s, where he would stand and listen to the group’s speeches and observe their rituals. After many of the meetings, he would approach different Klansmen, shake their hands and join them for dinner on the grounds of the rallies. 
There, they would engage in meaningful conversations about their differences, with Davis asking questions, taking notes and even sharing a laugh or two with the members. 
In the video, broadcast by TEDxNaperville, Davis shares his experiences with a large crowd, and highlights the importance of approaching difficult discussions with a mutual regard for other people’s worldviews. 
“Respect is the key, sitting down and talking, not necessarily agreeing, but respecting each other to air their points of view,” he tells attendees. “Take the time to sit down and talk with your adversaries; you will learn something, and they will learn something from you.” 
Davis’ efforts to connect with those who rallied against him led the longtime R&B and blues musician, activist and author to establish a personal relationship with KKK Imperial Wizard Roger Kelly at the time. From there, the two became close friends, and Kelly eventually left the Klan and gave Davis his robe. 
Davis claims to have been directly responsible for collecting between 40 and 60 robes from former Klansmen, which came as a result of his willingness to simply listen, ask questions and engage with them. 
“When two enemies are talking, they’re not fighting,” Davis says in the video. “It’s when the talking ceases that the ground becomes fertile for violence, so keep the conversation going.” 
It goes without saying that the challenges of this year have led to an upheaval of racial and political divide, the likes of which many of us have never seen before. From rioting in the streets to hateful discourse on social media, our nation is growing more polarized with each broken store window and offensive Facebook post after the next.
Our focus has shifted to glaring at someone’s mask — or lack thereof — rather than what’s in their eyes. We spend our time rebuking others for how they voted instead of asking them why they did. Assuming the worst about our adversaries rather than wishing them the best has become commonplace. 
Instead of inciting violence or eliciting an angry response, perhaps our best course of action during this turbulent time is to take a page out of Davis’ book and invest in those who don’t share our same worldview — especially those we haven’t even met. 
Davis said it best in his TED talk, referencing the first time he experienced racism at an early age: “It was inconceivable to me that someone who had never laid eyes on me, never spoken to me … would want to inflict pain upon me for no other reason than the color of my skin.” 
His lack of understanding at the time could have led him down a path of pain and resentment. However, he chose to embrace a life of compassion and understanding, which he used as a way to later convert the very same people who persecuted him. It’s time to listen, ask questions and take notes. 
It’s time to be willing to hear others’ opinions before declaring our own. It’s time to learn and grow together. Davis did, and he was faced with insurmountable odds. What’s our excuse today?