![]() Klansmen shunned him along with those who loathed the KKK. He came to despise the hatred and left the KKK only to find himself alone and friendless. Raised in a violent home with an alcoholic father, Shepherd joined the KKK in his youth and became a Grand Dragon. He used to denigrate King and his family. Scott Shepherd used to hate black people. ![]() We want to dismantle the system that continues to oppress black people and people of color in this country.” SATX4’s Mike Lowe walks with a defaced Confederate flag following a rally against the Confederate monument at Travis Park. “However, the work he is doing is on an individual level. “I would not personally discredit his work,” said Lowe, a member of SATX4 in San Antonio before he relocated to Fort Worth last July. He says he and Davis address racism differently. Mike Lowe, a Black Lives Matters activist, offers a less enthusiastic view. “If we could clone 10 to 20 of you,” Nakpodia told Davis at the DreamWeek breakfast, “the world would be different.” Shokare Nakpodia, founder of DreamWeek San Antonio, wanted to hear Davis’ story in person and invited him to speak. Fascination with Davis’ mission grows, too. Five months later, he left the Klan based on that conversation.”įrom that man, Davis received his first hood and robe. “He got very very, quiet,” Davis recalled. “No more stupid,” Davis shot back, “than what you said to me.” “That’s because your gene is latent,” Davis said. The Klansman said he hadn’t killed anyone. When he couldn’t, Davis rattled off the names of white serial killers: Bundy, Berkowitz, Manson, Dahmer, Gacy. The Klansman said, “That’s because your gene is latent.”ĭavis asked the Klansman to name three black serial killers. Davis countered that he had never committed a violent act. As evidence, he pointed to the assaults committed by African Americans in the area. The Klansman remarked that all black men possessed a violent gene. It happened once on a drive through a high-crime neighborhood in Washington, D.C. He used history and logic to expose the lies of racism, truth and love to demolish walls of hate.Ī large man with a deep voice and persuasive tongue, Davis can render a Klansman silent. Davis used music to build a bridge with white supremacists, natural charisma and disarming kindness to engage their hearts. What began as research project turned into a mission. “The number of Klansmen who have left because of me is around 200, 200 plus.” “I probably have between 43 and 45 hoods and robes,” Davis said. Remorseful for his hate, Kelly later gave his hood and robe to Davis. Kelly phoned to apologize, to say he was leaving the Klan. As the years passed, Kelly rose to Imperial Wizard, the top leadership position in the Klan. They visited each other’s homes, shared meals, engaged in long, thoughtful conversations. Davis and Roger Kelly, the KKK leader, met in a hotel room in Frederick.Īn unlikely friendship formed. As the tour began, Davis called James and asked to be connected with the Grand Dragon of the Maryland KKK. He would gather answers to his question and put them in a book. The encounter inspired Davis to travel the country, attend KKK rallies and interview Klansmen. James showed him his KKK card.ĭaryl Davis Credit: Bonnie Arbittier / San Antonio Report He clinked Davis’ glass and told him it was the first time he’d ever had a drink with a black man. Impressed with the dazzling pianist, the patron, Frank James, bought Davis a drink (“cranberry juice,” Davis explained, because he doesn’t drink alcohol). He once played for a country band and caught the eye of a patron at the Silver Dollar Lounge in Frederick, Maryland. Davis played for Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, for Fats Domino and Muddy Waters. He took it into adulthood, into his career as a jazz and blues pianist. The 10-year-old boy carried that question through adolescence and into college. How can you hate me when you don’t even know me? Six weeks later, King was assassinated and Daryl recognized the evil behind the rocks and bottles. After learning he was targeted because of his race, Davis was incredulous. In 1968, Davis marched in a parade in a suburb of Boston, the only black in a troop of white Cub Scouts.Īt first, he thought the rocks and bottles were hurled by those who hated scouts. His first encounter with bigotry occurred after his family moved to the U.S. He attended racially and ethnically diverse schools in Europe and Africa. foreign service diplomat, Davis grew up in multicultural environments.
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