2008 Woodie Awards
Speaker to share experiences with KKK
Doug Graham
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Campus Life
Daryl Davis has hobnobbed with grand wizards and attended numerous Ku Klux Klan meetings - and by the way, he's black.
"Here's an African-American man who's gone to Klan meetings and asked, 'What's the cause of this hate?'" said Ed Wirthwein, assistant director for campus activities.
Davis will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom in the Overman Student Center. His program, which examines the roots of racism, is free to students and the general public.
Wirthwein says he hand-picked Davis to speak at PSU after seeing a snippet of his performance at a conference. Wirthwein was struck by Davis' unique perspective on race relations.
"It's intriguing, why people hate others so much because of their skin color," Wirthwein said.
Wirthwein says that Davis, who is also a professional blues musician, mixes music and performance into his speaking engagements.
The heart of the Davis' presentation, however, remains focused on racism, and Wirthwein says he hopes students leave the event with a heightened understanding of the issue.
"I hope (students)... see that we're all people and we can all get along," Wirthwein said. "If Daryl can go to Klan meetings and talk to people, we can talk to anybody."
"Here's an African-American man who's gone to Klan meetings and asked, 'What's the cause of this hate?'" said Ed Wirthwein, assistant director for campus activities.
Davis will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom in the Overman Student Center. His program, which examines the roots of racism, is free to students and the general public.
Wirthwein says he hand-picked Davis to speak at PSU after seeing a snippet of his performance at a conference. Wirthwein was struck by Davis' unique perspective on race relations.
"It's intriguing, why people hate others so much because of their skin color," Wirthwein said.
Wirthwein says that Davis, who is also a professional blues musician, mixes music and performance into his speaking engagements.
The heart of the Davis' presentation, however, remains focused on racism, and Wirthwein says he hopes students leave the event with a heightened understanding of the issue.
"I hope (students)... see that we're all people and we can all get along," Wirthwein said. "If Daryl can go to Klan meetings and talk to people, we can talk to anybody."
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