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Ted Talk by Daryl Davis: “Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies”

Imagine the audacity of requesting an interview with a Grand Dragon from the KKK, and NOT telling him ahead of time you are black. That is what Daryl Davis did, and it led to him attending KKK rallies, being told he was inferior and that people of different skin colors should not mix. That Grand Dragon became an Imperial Wizard, certain of his superiority, yet also a friend of Daryl Davis, who did not judge. And after years and years, that Imperial Wizard left the Klan, disbanded this group, and gave his robes to Daryl Davis as an equal.

Change requires time and effort, and also a willingness to commit to the process of conversation. Normal political strategy, on both sides, says to not bother to engage with those most extremely opposed to you because they are the least likely to change their minds. Political consultants have literally told me it is a wasted effort.

Daryl Davis proves that idea wrong, and has with an estimated 200 KKK members, yet politically we still refuse to believe. It simply requires embracing that our strategy needs to look to the future, beyond the next election cycle. If a black man can attend KKK rallies, surely we can take the much easier step of talking to, and listening to, the other political side.

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