On this last day of Black History Month, I felt as though this was an impt story to share. It doesn’t just teach themes abt how to improve race relations…it teaches themes abt how we can best come together on any topics that divide us.
It’s a story I saw on a post from a Deputy Brigade Chaplain w the US Army, that I paraphrased to fit w/in the theme of this page.
Daryl Davis was at one point in his life a musician w big dreams & lots of talent, having shared the stage w the likes of Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, & Muddy Waters. While that alone would be considered “successful,” he’s impacted this world in even bigger ways.
Imagine this talented man, befriending KKK Grand wizard, Roger Kelly. He dedicated yrs building a bond of trust & actually a deep friendship – being invited to & eating in each other’s homes, often. Daryl even attended Klan rallies as a guest of Kelly! I literally could NOT imagine this.
Thru the friendship, Davis decided he was going to listen, first. He didn’t hate Kelly bc Kelly (showed thru his actions that he), hated him. Instead he began by listening…just listening. Inviting that atmosphere, Kelly started listening to him. What they realized by hearing each other out, is that they had way more in common than not. This gave me chills: Kelly would end up denouncing his ties to the KKK. So much so, he handed his hood & robe to Daryl.
In total, Daryl’s seen over 200 klan members walk away from the KKK & hand over their robes & hoods to him. Singlehandedly, this man has changed the world.
At a time when so many things seem to divide us…where social media leads to bold, sweeping claims & broad brush strokes, Daryl’s shown that when we search FOR our similarities instead of pointing out our differences, love can overcome hate, & we can come together. #5in5, all of us! Including the challenges we face that impact our MH, we have way more in common than we first may see.
