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Black Musician, Former Imperial Wizard of the KKK, and Great Friends
The following is an excerpt from my book, What the Heck Is Leadership and Why Should I Care? I made some minor changes so that this post makes sense being out of the context of the book. Thanks to Daryl Davis for permitting me to share his words both in the book and in this post.
Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies is the title of Daryl Davis’ powerful TEDxNaperville video. A few years ago, I watched this video, and still today, I’m moved by Daryl’s eloquent words, curiosity, and courage.
Possibly because of my inexperience, I struggle to find the words to articulate my feelings about the unjust divisiveness and harm towards Americans just because of their appearance. Daryl, however, has organized his thoughts and expressed himself in a humbling way. The French say, le mot juste, which means using the right words at the right time. For me, Daryl’s words are timeless.
Daryl Davis’ talk begins with his relationship with Robert White and how they became “the best of friends.” What’s difficult to conceive is how different these friends are.
