The REAL Answer To Race Relations

On November 20, the Las Vegas Guardian Express posted an amazing article. It was about Daryl Davis, author of Klan-Destine Relationships: A Black Man‘s Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan, published in 1997.

The article tells the story of how Davis, a black man, came to write the book. Daryl Davis, a gifted boogie woogie piano player,  is currently an integral member of The Legendary Blues Band (formerly known as the Muddy Waters Band). His odyssey with the Ku Klux Klan began in 1983 with a discussion with a Klan member about the piano playing of Jerry Lee Lewis and how Jerry Lee Lewis developed his piano style.

Please follow the link to the article and read the entire story. It is an amazing story for many reasons. First of all Daryl Davis had to courage to meet with leaders of the Klan and have honest discussions with the about what they believed. He formed close friendships with people who previously would have hated him simply on the basis of his race. In the article he talks about some of the tense moments in meeting with Klansmen and talking with them about their beliefs.

I believe that in recent years America has taken multiple steps backwards in the area of race relations. We have forgotten the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., that all men should be judged on their character–not their race. Instead we have evolved into a game of one-upmanship where races are trying to exhort payback for crimes and injustices that happened centuries ago. Until we realize that the past is the past and we cannot change it, we will never be able to move forward.

Enhanced by Zemanta