Daryl Davis is a musician, actor, author, and lecturer.  He earned his BA in Music from Howard University and is an accomplished Blues, Rock'n'Roll, Country, and Jazz musician, touring regularly with his Daryl Davis Band.  He has worked extensively with Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, The Legendary Blues Band, and Percy Sledge, among others.

 

After a performance, 35 years ago, a man told Daryl Davis he had never seen an African-American man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. The man was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and he became a regular fan of Daryl’s. This led to Davis becoming the first African-American author to travel the country interviewing KKK leaders and members, all detailed in his book, Klan-Destine Relationships. This tour made him one of the unique race relations experts and activists today. He eventually became the recipient of robes and hoods from Klan members who came to rescind their beliefs after coming to know him.

 

Davis has appeared in the critically acclaimed TV show The Wire, as well as in many plays and movie roles.  He is the subject of the recent documentary Accidental Courtesy, which followed him around the U.S. documenting his meetings with KKK members, neo-Nazis, the Alt-Right movement, and other white supremacists.

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This lecture was made possible by a generous donation from the MIS Foundation.

 

Moderation: Dr. Bärbel Harju, Amerika-Institut, LMU

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Follow Daryl Davis' Work 

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TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/daryl_davis_why_i_as_a_black_man_attend_kkk_rallies?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

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Books:

Klan-destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan (1998)

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Movie:

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (2016)