Daryl Davis is a black man. He is a black man who has spent countless hours at Ku Klux Klan rallies (KKK). He has invited KKK leaders to his house… and shared meals with these men.<\/p>\n
You might ask yourself, “Why would Mr. Davis do this?” Is he some kind of bizarre racist who hates his own race? The answer to that is unequivocally NO.\u00a0 He does these things because he believes that Americans don’t have enough conversations with people who believe differently then they do. Generally speaking, we stick to our own “tribes.” This leads to linear thinking – “We are good and they are bad.” Groups stereotype other groups and ascribe qualities to them without facts.<\/p>\n
The main premise that Mr. Davis operates from is a simple one – “How can you hate me, when you don’t know me.” So, he broke down barriers. He befriended people who claimed that they hated him. He was polite. He listened. He found common ground. Mr. Davis allowed these Klansmen to get to know him as a human being. And, as they did, they had to internally wrestle with their unfounded stereotypes. If a person believes that all black people are evil, lazy or stupid, yet they meet a kind-hearted, hard-working smart black man, their naive prejudices become myths.<\/p>\n
As a result of all of these one-on-one interactions, over 200 Klansman gave up their membership in the KKK. More than one Grand Wizard (leader) quit the Klan and gave Mr. Davis his robe.<\/p>\n