Essay Example on Daryl Davis' 19-Min Speech: Understanding Racism & Why We Oppose It

Daryl Davis made a 19-minute speech where he recounted his mission of understanding racism and why the color of the skin that one has is a determinant of the way some people treat others. Davis befriends the Ku Klux Klan wizard so that he can gain an effective understanding of racism and why someone can hate other people, yet they do not know them. Instead of fighting and opposing racism, he tries to understand racism through listening and effective communication.

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He first experienced racism when he was ten years old at a scout parade, and this inspired him to begin his quest on why the white people treat the blacks so harshly. At the scout parade, a group of white people threw bottles and shouted abusive words to him because he was the only black boy in the group (Davis, 2017). When he explained to his parents about the experience he had, he could not understand how racism worked and why it was directed towards him due to his skin color.

When he grew up, he decided to have his answers solved by asking the people in the Ku Klux Klan. Although he did not agree with many of the beliefs of the clansmen, he had the aim of learning more from them, and in the process, he formed a friendship with Roger Kelly, and they even started visiting each other's houses (Davis, 2017). Kelly, who is a leader in the KKK group, invited Davis to attend various rallies. Many clansmen left the KKK group as a result of Davis's strong influence.

In a period of 30 years, Davis was able to convince 200 people to leave the group mainly due to his performances and the time they spoke with him. When Kelly left the KKK, he handed his robe to Davis, who stores them and any trophies given to him as proof that racism can be easily defeated (Davis, 2017). Davis also owns other Klan hoods and robes that were given to him by different members of the Klan, most of who ended up becoming his goods friends.

The message portrayed in this talk is a call for taking action rather than just complaining when issues get hard. Mr. Davis challenges people to adopt the perspectives of those who have different beliefs from theirs instead of fighting them (Davis, 2017). When people learn to understand the opinions of various other people, they become more than they were. He inspires people to take action rather than sitting and agreeing with the beliefs of those with similar interests.

It is important that we learn to listen to others that have completely differing opinions from our own regardless of how annoying they may be. Hatred is caused by fear, and if the hatred is not regulated, it can lead to ignorance and destruction, which have detrimental effects, including the death of some individuals who may find themselves in the middle of the conflicts (Davis, 2017).

Davis's style of understanding reasoning in racism cases by the use of communication rather than the opposition is a unique style not realized in many people in the past. He tried studying racism books, but he could not find any answers. Therefore, he decided to talk to the members of the KKK group so that he could find the reasoning behind racism against blacks and how it can be eradicated (Davis, 2017). His brave actions stripped people of their ignorance and ill intentions and helped them adopt his style of thinking towards reconciliation and convincing rather than violent methods, most of which lead to more tension and death.

Reference

Davis, D. (2017). Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies. | Daryl Davis | TEDxNaperville. Retrieved 7 April 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ORp3q1Oaezw&app=desktop