World Net Daily ... One of the most familiar stories in the Bible is that of Daniel. When challenged about his faith in God, an old and wise Daniel never wavered. Despite the threat of an agonizing death for doing so, he remained steadfast. 

His detractors witnessed a miracle when, after being tossed into a den of lions, Daniel was not attacked by the beasts!

 

Daryl Davis is a man of strong moral character, intellect and courage. His thirst for knowledge caused him, voluntarily, to walk into the equivalent of a human den of lions – one traditionally known to feed on intense racial hatred. In so doing, he would perform a miracle. 

His story is shared in an eye-opening "Ted Talk" he has given.

 

It was not until 1968 that Davis – a 10-year old Cub Scout – experienced his first racial bias. The only black Scout in a Massachusetts parade, he was pelted by a small group of whites. 

Shocked, that experience would eventually plant the seed for formulating a question in his mind, although the answer would allude him until adulthood. 

That question was: How can you hate me when you don't even know me? Reading books on supremacy – white, black, Nazi, neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan (KKK), anti-Semitism – failed to provide him with an answer, so he took a unique approach.

 

Davis decided, who better to answer his question than someone who joined an organization, the historical premise for which was hating those who were simply different, whether in skin color or ideology. 

He asked his secretary one day to call a man named Roger Kelly. Kelly was the KKK's Imperial Wizard – a national leader for the organization. Davis had been warned, however, "not to fool with Mr. Kelly; he will kill you." 

Despite her warning, Davis instructed his secretary to ask Kelly for an interview to discuss the KKK, but not let Keely know that Davis was black. She call Kelly and he agreed to the interview.

 

Reserving a motel room, Davis and his secretary arrived early. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The secretary opened it and in walked Kelly and his armed bodyguard. Kelly initially froze upon realizing his interview was with a black man. 

Davis immediately opened his arms wide to show he was unarmed and then extended his hand to greet Kelly and the bodyguard – both of whom shook Davis' hand. As the bodyguard remained standing at the ready, everyone else sat down.

 

A discussion ensued during which time the two agreed and disagreed on various issues. But Kelly was clear he did not view Davis as an equal – a feeling "justified and determined" by the color of the latter's skin. But Davis was not there to argue with Kelly; he was there to learn from where his ideology emanated as only by knowing that answer can one hopefully determine how to address it.

 

The two spoke for about an hour. A strange noise suddenly was heard in the room, causing both Davis and Kelly immediately to stand up and menacingly glare at each other. Like gunfighters, each believed the other might be drawing a weapon. 

Seconds later, however, it was realized the noise had an innocent origin – it had come from the refrigerator next to them. Apparently, warm soda cans cooling inside shifted off the ice. With that realization, the tension was broken by laughter.

 

But the incident provided a teaching moment: a noise of unknown origin had disrupted a conversation between two men harboring diametrically opposed viewpoints, causing them to become fearful and accusatory of one another. 

The lesson was how ignorance (in this case, what the noise was) can breed fear.

Davis notes, "We fear those things we do not understand. 

If we do not keep that fear in check, that fear, in turn, will breed hatred because we hate those things that frighten us. If we do not keep that hatred in check, that hatred, in turn, will breed destruction. We want to destroy those things that we hate. Why? Because they cause us to be afraid. But guess what? They may have been harmless and we were just ignorant."

 

After the interview, Davis repeatedly invited Kelly to his home, visits initially made with his bodyguard in tow. Davis invited his own friends – blacks, Jews, whites – to talk with Kelly. 

This went on for several years, before Kelly eventually began showing up sans his bodyguard. The blossoming relationship then led Kelly to invite Davis to his own home.

 

Before long, Kelly was inviting Davis to attend KKK rallies. Davis listened to their speeches – not because he believed what was being said but to learn the impetus for saying it. CNN even did a story about Davis attending the rallies. 

Kelly was also interviewed by CNN, saying that despite his relationship with Davis, his position on the Klan remained unchanged because it had been cemented for years. He also stated his belief in separation of the races to be in the best interests of all races.

 

But it was something Kelly said at the end of the interview upon which Davis focused. 

Referencing Davis at the rally, Kelly said, "A lot of times we don't agree with everything, but at least he respects me to sit down and listen to me and I'll respect him to sit down and listen to him."

 

Davis concludes with the observation, "Respect is the key... 

...Sitting down and talking, not necessarily agreeing but respecting each other to air their points of view. 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 are not going to be fighting. It's when the talking ceases that the ground then becomes fertile for violence. So keep the conversation going."

 

To answer the question for which Davis had long sought an answer, he discovered there were two important aspects: 1) Ignorance about race triggers fear and hatred, and 2) mutual respect is imperative in allowing contrary beliefs to be aired and discussed.

 

The miracle? 

The approach taken by Daryl Davis to find his answer, and the resulting friendship that evolved, caused Roger Kelly (a former KKK Imperial Wizard) to leave the Klan!