Interesting Thing: Sworn Enemies To Coming Together

Daryl Davis

Black musician and author Daryl Davis has a collection of over 20 KKK robes in his house. No, he’s not blind, a ghost fetishist, or a Chappelle’s Show character. The truth is even more amazing: each robe in Davis’ menagerie of racist wares represents a Klansman he has managed to reform through sheer force of friendship.

Daryl Davis
“Incidentally, anybody wanna buy a tablecloth?”

But how did Davis end up befriending people we imagine would sooner shank him than shake his hand? It all began at a bar, which makes perfect sense, since this is the sort of odd coupling that seems possible only when your BAC gets you confused with a jug of moonshine.

Back in the early ’80s, Davis, a traveling musician, decided to share his craft with the patrons of an all-white country-western bar. After his performance, a guy approached him to say he was impressed that a black man could play the piano as well as Jerry Lee Lewis. Davis proceeded to blow the man’s mind by letting him know that not only did Lewis learn to play rock ‘n’ roll by imitating black people (like, you know, everyone else) but he was a personal friend. The man, in turn, surprised Davis by mentioning he was a Ku Klux Klan member.

Daryl Davis
Then they recorded a rap album together, judging by this photo.

Somehow the two logical adversaries hit it off, and Davis never forgot the night he won over a racist man with his magic fingers. Nearly eight years later, the musician tracked down his barroom buddy hoping to gain insights from Klansmen for a book he was writing. Through his pal, Davis arranged meetings with other KKK members, sometimes without letting them know he was black at first — some turned violent and attacked him, but others became so comfortable with the open-minded musician that they let him attend their Klan meetings. Here’s a video of a KKK Imperial Wizard proclaiming his respect for Davis during a rally (he drops an N-word while doing it, but hey, it’s something):

By the way, that guy eventually quit the Klan because of Davis, as did many others. In fact, Davis has even been credited with singlehandedly buckling the Maryland KKK under the weight of amity. Turns out some people are really awful, but others just want someone to hug them and talk about rock music.

Article By A.C. Grimes

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