Dealing With Racism the Right Way
The Story of a Black American Who Befriended KKK Members
Daryl Davis is a black American who has actually converted members of the KKK to being no longer racist. You heard that right — a black man, who KKK members inherently hate, was able to convince KKK members to give up their cloaks. How did he manage to do this? Was it by yelling at them, telling them that they are racist? Did he organize protests? Or did he simply talk with them?
The Daryl Davis Story
He requested an interview with a KKK national leader. He had some experiences with racism as a kid, and really just wanted to find an answer to the question, in his words: how can you hate me if you don’t even know me?
Stoic Detachment
It’s crucial to understand that Daryl was chasing his curiosity here. He wasn’t an activist, he wasn’t necessarily trying to convert KKK members. No, he was simply curious. What this curiosity did was allow him to be detached from anything that a klan’s member would say. How could what they are saying affect him if they didn’t even know him? That was his thought pattern.
