Daryl Davis

I have had a feeling recently that I need to better understand the racism in our world today. I have been reading a lot about what it's like to be a black person in the US, and I have been amazed at my ignorance of the challenges that black people face. I know I am not alone. There are a lot of non-black people on a quest to better understand the problems of race from the perspective of black people.

But I have also had a feeling that I need to better understand racism from the opposite perspective. I want to know why some people think that skin color is a sufficient criterion to judge someone as inferior. I truly don't understand white supremacy - or any concept of racial superiority or inferiority. But I want to understand it. I want to know what makes people think this way. And I don't think that desire has been as common.

Last week, I stumbled on a TED talk given by a man named Daryl Davis. His story is beautiful and inspiring. As a black man, he befriended members of the Ku Klux Klan over many years in order to understand them. He engaged in respectful dialog, listening to their views, and sharing his own. As a result of these friendships and discussions, some of the men have left the KKK, though that was not Daryl's original intention. The video below is part of his story, focused on one particular member of the KKK.

Near the end of the video, Daryl says:

Take the time to sit down and talk with your adversaries. You will learn something, and they will learn something from you. When two enemies are talking, they're not fighting; they're talking. It's when the talking ceases that the ground becomes fertile for violence. So keep the conversation going.

I learned years ago that my greatest growth often came by paying attention to what was uncomfortable within me. Listening to my negative emotions helped me unravel them and make friends with them. Ignoring them only ensured they would stick around, grow in strength, and influence my behavior in negative ways. The application of that lesson to interpersonal relations is probably what has led me to this desire to understand white supremacy. It makes me uncomfortable, but ignoring it won't make it go away. With patience, kindness, and respect, perhaps I can understand it and help resolve it. As Daryl says of his conversation with one KKK leader:

I wasn't there to fight him. I was there to learn from him. Where does this ideology come from? Because once you learn where it comes from, you can then try to figure out how to address it and see where it's going.

Daryl Davis has done what I have only thought about. He has become my new hero. His story has inspired me to learn more. I don't think I'm ready to reach out to the KKK, but I do want to pursue the kind of insight into human nature that Daryl discovered. The goal isn't to convert anyone. The goal is to understand. And with that deeper understanding, perhaps I can bring a bit more wisdom to this problem and be a more effective agent for positive change.