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  • Essay / The KKK—the 1890s, the 1970s, and Today - 1621

    The KKK—the 1890s, the 1970s, and Today A few years ago, my mother said something to me that made think: we had once lived in the same neighborhood as the party leader. local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. This had happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 1994. The Ku Klux Klan, according to Blaine Varney in Lynching in the 1890s, had a habit of "... engaging in nightly 'terror rides' to harass “arrogant niggers”….” They are, however, much more infamous for their “lynchings” – nocturnal “terror rides” including murders – of African-Americans. Varney tells us that lynching levels peaked in 1892, with 161 murders recorded that year. In modern times, most Americans would agree that the Klan, like any form of white supremacy, has no place in society — and emphasizing its survival is a good way to imply that we, as a people, are still not perfect. The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee (JBAKC) is committed to fighting the continued existence of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as the oppression and white supremacist doctrine it idolizes. The JBAKC was founded in 1978, in part by a certain Lisa Roth; she and others formed the group after investigating the Klan's ties to New York state prisons. The New York Klan incorporation documents they found said it all: Every Klan member in New York State was employed as a guard in New York's Napanoch Jail. Additionally, the person who incorporated the state chapter of the Klan was none other than the head of the guard unit there (Trodd 281). In Take a Stand Against the Klan, the JBAKC describes its fight against the Ku Klux Klan and urges its readers to oppose white supremacy by supporting liberation struggles. As the group's name might suggest, the John Brown Anti- The Klan Committee is inspired by John Brown...... middle of paper...... the nation. And it definitely advises us to be vigilant about those who still claim to be superior to people of color: there is clearly more racism than some Americans realize. Perhaps JBAKC's only minor flaw is being "too persuasive" in this article. In other words, if he were called "extremist", it could harm the information and its message. Unfounded claims could also debunk their message as wrong to the general public. However, imperfections aside, one thing most Americans can agree on is that racism should be a thing of the past in our free society, and Taking a Stand Against the Klan is an effective and spirited call to action to this regard. And if it fails to provoke action, its controversy at least provokes thought – one way or another, bringing us closer to the end of white supremacy and oppression..