We Stand For White SupremacyEssay Preview: We Stand For White SupremacyReport this essay“We Stand for White Supremacy”:A Dilemma for a Ku Klux Klan MemberIntroduction to LiteratureRace is a very complex and conflicted issue that has faced our country for quite sometime. The influence of racism and racial prejudice is constantly reflected throughout many different means; media, music, and literature (Brown, 1999). Racism is an attitude, an action, or an institutional organization that subordinates individuals or groups of individuals because of physical characters, such as skin color and body features (Brown, 1999, p.88). Racism has also been thought of a multidimensional construct in that the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspect of ones personality is targeted to negatively influence other lives.
There are many white supremacy groups that are changing as their culture is transforming into decentralized and non-traditional organizations. Their have been a modification in the individuals allowed to join these groups, how these groups operate, and the possibility of getting out once a member (Kreger, 2003). Youth and college educated members are becoming more well-known in the culture, as well as a rise in female indoctrination into more and more white supremacy groups (Kreger, 2003).
About 25,000 Americans can be considered hardcore ideological activists for the white supremacy movement which only counts for a small portion of the white population (Blee, 2002). There are close to 300 white cultural and religious organizations, yet none of the orders seem to compare. The following is a list of the current and major active white supremacy groups:
Aryan NationThe Holy OrderThe Silent BrotherhoodChurch of the CreatorKu Klux Klan (KKK)Neo-Nazi PartySkinheadsUnited Whites Peoples PartyThese groups have been known to have great hate for all who are not white and have strong philosophies on white ethnicity and orientation (Blee, 2002). Different groups have their own rivalries and controversy, although they still follow the same doctrine of the movement. White supremacy is a serious subject in our society historically and today. These groups have stationed themselves in different areas around the world. Some white supremacy groups are only in certain areas. Many of these groups consider themselves as non-violent and rather challenge the government in efforts to improve their supremacy movement (Almaguer, 1994). Their have been many attempts by these groups to recruit members through many different means including the internet, music, magazines, rallies (Bostdorff, 2004). These efforts of recruitment have shown to be targeted towards a new audience where it may produce more female and youthful members. There are websites that recruit new members to all of the white supremacist groups.
Most white supremacists organizations can be found in various locations demographically. There has been large representation of the groups in the United States, Australia, Europe, South Africa, and a bit of Latin America (White Supremacy, 2005). Throughout the years the organization that has grown the fastest is the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan is one the oldest and most frightful groups in the United States for many years. Motivated by the dream of having a world that is only run by one master race, the Ku Klux Klan has been known to display scenes of violence and hate in order to get society to view their foundation (Bostdorff, 2004). The Ku Klux Klan has been in the darkness for over 100 years and has continued to strive even today. Their ideals have revolved around them targeting Blacks and anyone else who stands in the way of the white government.
Recently, there have been more and more sightings and developments of Ku Klux Klan groups in several states. The Ku Klux Klan groups have been marked by many tracking organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (2004). In an article by the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project they listed the organizations and chapters that were active in 2004 categorized by state. By stating the groups were active it includes marches, criminal acts, rallies, meetings, speeches, and publishing (“Active US, 2004).
The following map shows 762 white supremacy/ hate groups in the United States. These are a combination of all the groups together (“Active US, 2004):Figure 1.1 Active U.S. Hate GroupsThere are more than 26 different Ku Klux Klan groups in the United States, mostly located in the southern region. The largest group as of the turn of the century is located and headquartered out of Harrison, Arkansas and is rapidly growing (Ross, 1994).
This next map shows the amount of Ku Klux Klan active groups who practice the hatred of not only Blacks but have also targeted homosexuals, Jews, immigrants (Mexicans), and now Catholics (“Active US, 2004).
Figure 1.2 Active Ku Klux Klan Chapters in the USMembership of the Ku Klux KlanSome of the assumptions made towards racist groups today show the possibility of all members having problematic tendencies, cultural and societal institutions promote and are affected, and keeping it a secret issue leads to its continuation (Locke and Kiselica, 1999). Common discriminatory myths regarding white supremacists ideals include (Kiselica, 1998):
The curability of the racist mentalityThe manifestation of blatant and violent actsThe acts are executed during isolated occurrencesRacism comes and goes such that of a trendA person is not racist if they interact with those of different cultures and raceThe Ku Klux Klan has many beliefs and doctrines that they abide by while being a member of the order. These ideals are followed and taught to those who decide they want to stay members. Their ideals have been passed down through many generations and are clearly stated in a manual. It has been misinterpreted during the years that men were the only active members of the Ku Klux Klan because of the women
However, the Klan was the most popular group to operate in the country from 1850 to 1870. Between 1880 and 1911, all of the 2,000 members of the Klan had been members and there were more and more of these members. In 1911-1915, a number of Klan members were murdered in the Kansas City, Missouri area. In 1939, the number of Klan members became to more than 800. When more than the same number of women came into the group, so did much of what they did for a living. This led to a massive influx of women into the KKK, most of whom were the first to turn on their husbands or sons. There were about 250 men with as many as 400 women on the KKK’s payroll. A number of the Klan’s members were arrested, killed, and in some cases lynched when they had little or no other source of income.
The only “one-size-fits-all” solution to racism is the creation of group, non-profit organizations such as the KKK, to be able to fight back when members do have problems. This group approach has been criticized by many individuals, but a majority of the members of the KKK are non-racist. All of the non-conservative organizations have been criticized for their racism, yet the KKK continues to operate as the most effective group in the nation.
The American Ku Klux Klan is the only known organization that was founded directly by a white supremacist in 1896, in a church run by a young African American man named George B. Smith. The man started a group called the Association of Non-Militant Organizing Committees called the Anti-Communist League, and later by 1900, he founded the Association of Non-Militant Organizations to attack racial prejudice. This was not the first time that the KKK had taken action against non-racists by organization in the United States: in the same year during which the First African American National Convention was held on the South, the Klan used lynching as an attack tactic by taking control of the Southern city jail by force.
When I met some of the KKK members in Missouri I thought it was my duty to point out that their name is literally synonymous with the people they are attempting to protect. These three words stand for “I Will Survive”, “I Hate You” and “My Lord.” Many of the KKK members say that while they are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to