Daryl Davis collects KKK robes, which is an odd hobby – especially for a black man.
Each robe was given to him by a card-carrying Klan member he befriended who subsequently left the KKK. By his estimates, Davis has helped roughly 200 people leave the KKK and similar groups. Dozens of those have given him their robes on the way out. Many of those he fostered out the door of hate were high-ranking members, and at least one leader shut down his entire chapter when he left.
His strategy is surprisingly simple, absolutely insane, and sometimes controversial – befriend them.
From a foundation of trust, he can slowly unravel the hate and ignorance with truth. He uses every tool you or I would use to build a meaningful relationship: Respect, kindness, understanding, trust, acceptance, sacrifice, fun, food, listening, time, and honesty. But he applies them in ways I can’t fathom.
Davis is a professional musician. When a Klan friend wasn’t allowed to rent a bus to attend a Klan rally, Davis let him borrow his band’s tour bus and had the group over for dinner afterward.
I don’t know what to make of this or of Daryl Davis.
Some civil rights activists hate what he does and feel that he’s helping to normalize extremist groups. Some white supremacists hate what he does and won’t ever change their minds.
But it’s hard to argue with the results. I believe that trust, dialog, and understanding are how we move forward in a divided world, but I never considered it would be used in this way. I can’t imagine how I’d feel seeing him cozy up to the Klan if they had burned my community to the ground and murdered my family and friends.
On the other hand, Davis doesn’t give hate in the face of hate, and he’s reached out to the worst kind of untouchable. These aren’t people society has rejected, these are groups that have rejected themselves by choosing their beliefs and actions. And Davis still approaches each white supremacist without judgment.
Odd, isn’t it?
Even if you don’t believe in his tactics, the world needs more Oddballs like this. We need more teachers, parents, and bosses who practice kindness and seek to understand, even when it’s not practical. We need more neighbors we can have dinner with even when our beliefs differ. And we need more people who empower change by removing judgment from their lives.