Grand dragon roger kelly8/24/2023 ![]() The seeds were sown on a night in 1983, when he was performing country music with his band at a bar in Frederick, Maryland. Today, Davis works to change minds and hearts - by simply offering his friendship. Did the townspeople have something against the Boy Scouts? Bill Davis told his son that some people in the US simply didn’t like black Americans because they were different, and explained that there were even notorious militant groups like the KKK that believed in white supremacy. Hurt and confused, Davis had lots of questions for his father when he got home. ![]() Seeing what was happening, Davis’s fellow scouts came to his aid and surrounded him for protection. During a Fourth of July parade featuring the Scouts, a group of white townspeople threw rocks and glass bottles in Davis’s direction. When Davis’s family moved back to the US, they settled in Belmont, Massachusetts, where his father, Bill, enrolled for his Master’s degree at Boston University. He had never experienced racism or discrimination of any kind. As such, he lived around the world as a kid and grew up in cosmopolitan, multicultural environments in Ethiopia, Senegal and Austria. However, Davis is best known for reaching out to members of the Ku Klux Klan, befriending them and getting them to change their ways.ĭavis was born in Chicago in 1958 as the son of a State Department worker. He’s also an accomplished blues musician who’s played with some of the all-time greats, like B.B. ![]() He’s a character actor, with minor parts on HBO’s The Wire and in off-Broadway productions to his name. He’s a published author, public speaker and activist. And if he did, his friend Kelly would be quick to disabuse them.Ĭopyright © 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.Įxternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.Daryl Davis is lots of things. "As Roger said, many of his views have not changed on the Klan, and I have my views on the Klan, (but) I certainly have learned a lot."īut Davis has no illusions about the Klan and its doctrines. "I think I've found a friend," Davis said. ![]() You know it hasn't changed my views about the Klan because my views on the Klan (have) been pretty much cemented in my mind." We get to know one another and we do different things. "I believe that's in the best interest of all races. "I believe in separation of the races," said Kelly. Regardless of their friendship, both men have been able to tenaciously maintain their views of each other's group. "We don't agree on everything, but at least he respects me to sit down and listen and I respect him." "I would follow that man to hell and back because I believe in what he stands for," Kelly said. "I sat on the front row and I listened to each Klansman speak, some things I agreed with, some things I did not agree with," Davis said.Īnd despite the Klan's espousal of racial segregation, Kelly did not hesitate at one rally to proclaim his respect for Davis. Kelly and his Klan friends go to hear Davis and his band, and Davis thinks his presence at the Klan rallies promotes badly needed understanding. "I got more respect for this black man than I do for you white n-s out there," Kelly said angrily.ĭavis says he is trying to bridge the gap that stems from ignorance and a fear of the unknown. It was a gesture of rejection that angered Kelly. ( 1.6M QuickTime movie)Īs a Klan member made her shrill plea for racial hatred, residents of Clairmont attempted to drown out her voice by singing. He has attended KKK demonstrations and recruiting events, but is not allowed to attend cross-burnings.Īt a recent rally in Clairmont, Maryland, the Klan had a tough day as residents rejected their message of white separatism with some amusement. WASHINGTON (CNN) - At a time of intensifying ethnic stress, Daryl Davis, an African-American, and Ku Klux Klan wizard Roger Kelly have reached across a deep divide to form an unlikely friendship.ĭavis began attending Ku Klux Klan gatherings several years ago while interviewing Kelly for a book.Īnd now, he's welcome at those rallies. CNN - African-American, KKK wizard forge unlikely friendship - JAfrican-American, KKK wizard
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