Research Paper on The Dark History of Kentucky & Appalachia: White Supremacy & Hate Groups

Introduction

The Kentucky and Appalachia regions of America have a long-standing history as the 'White Supremacists' capitals. Kentucky has however received more media coverage and public attention with regard to hate crimes and racially spurred groups (SPLC, 2018). The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a legal advocacy organization, ascertains that there are currently 23 active extremists groups in Kentucky, the largest being the Ku Klux Klan. The legal group, however, has not identified why the regions of Kentucky and Appalachia have such high numbers of active extremists groups. The key supposition, however, is linked to the region's history and lack of population diversity. In addition to this, the SPLC has noted that the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) gravitate towards rural areas of Kentucky as these areas are largely remote and secluded (SPLC, 2018). Hence they have more control and influence over the people in addition to the areas being more advantageous with regard to keeping their activities private. The KKK seems to target an expansion since 2016. This implies that there is likely to be an increase in hate crimes and other related ills, in Kentucky (SPLC, 2018). As a great potential threat to Kentucky's peace and prosperity, it is thus imperative that the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC), gather intelligence (profile) the group in order to target its actions with regard to combating this threat.

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Origin of the Ku Klux Klan

Established in 1865 as a reaction to the Republican Party's political reconstruction of the region to encompass the black minority, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) became a real threat to Kentucky's peace and prosperity (Alexander, 2016). The economic and political equality that was being sought by the ruling Republican Party than did not sit well with the native white populous of Kentucky. By 1870, the KKK had branches in all southern states, with Kentucky being the seat of power for the white supremacist group (Alexander, 2016).

The first members of the group were former Confederate veterans, who began the movement as a social club in 1865 in Pulaski. The words 'Ku' and 'Klux' that form the group's first two names are said to be derived from the Greek word "kyklos," which means circle. Its first patriarch/grand wizard was Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest (Trimble, 2017). The movement established ties with other white supremacists groups like the Knights of the White Camelia of Louisiana and the white brotherhood and together, the groups formed an 'invisible white empire' that sought to restore white supremacy in the United States, by whichever means they deemed necessary.

Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC) understands that digital assaults are never again single occasions, yet a supported battle by progressively refined assailants that utilization a mix of social designing and specialized expertise to enter your system and access your most significant resources. This expansion in the intricacy and expertise dimension of the foe implies that there is no single answer for Traditional security spending centers around presenting another defensive or analyst item, however this no longer compelling in seclusion. There should be a general digital security methodology concentrated on digital versatility, and driven by a danger drove approach that spotlights on the key resources of the association and the inspirations and capacities of the in all probability aggressors.

Goals and Objectives of the KKK

The primary function of the KKK and other white supremacy groups is to destabilize all equality basis of White and Black people, mainly the government and hence, to undo all the economic and political equity laws that had been enacted. This would thus return the regions the group operates in, to white dominance (Stallworth, 2018). The minority races in Kentucky and other regions would thus be disenfranchised. At least 10 percent of the black lawmakers voted in during the 1867-1868 constitutional elections became victims of KKK spurred violence during the socio-economic/political reconstruction.

An additional 7 lawmakers were murdered. Any symbol or institution that promoted Black autonomy became and still is a target for the KKK. The terms "scalawags" and "carpetbaggers" became common, especially with reference to White Republicans. For its key role, the Ku Klux Klan devotes itself to a secret campaign of viciousness aimed both White and Black citizenship, in an effort to undo the policies of Radical Reconstruction and restore white hegemony in the South and beyond.

Organization and Leadership

As previously mentioned, the first member of the KKK was primarily of former Confederate veterans, who began the movement as a social club in 1865. Its current membership as per the SPLC statistics consists of 6,000 members all across America (Stallworth, 2018). However, the associates and supporters of the group are of unknown number. Its first patriarch/grand wizard was Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest. The group is currently headed by Ron Edwards and has its headquarters near Dawson Springs, Kentucky. The KKKs distribution is also said to have reached Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa (Stallworth, 2018). Other affected regions include Europe and South America. The KKK is formed of about 130 chapters in the U.S. alone, all these chapters have a wizard, who is the leader of the chapter and reports to the 'grand wizard'.

Titles in the organization's leadership include; Klabee who is a treasurer(s), Klavern which is a local organization, Imperial Kleagle who is a recruiter, Klecktoken which is an initiation fee, Kligrapp who is a secretary, Klonvokation which is a gathering, Kloran which is a ritual book, Korero who is a delegate and Imperial Kludd who is a chaplain. The KKK is further divided into grand dragons, grand titans and finally grand cyclopses (Gordon, 2018).

Funding and Sources of Support

The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) reports that the KKK has an unknown number of affiliates and supporters. These unknown affiliates and supporters are the key source of the group's funding. The ADL notes that donations to further the group's agenda are usually done anonymously and sometimes may not even be flagged by presiding authorities (Fry, 2010). Other sources of finance for the group include 'donations' from other White supremacist movements and sometimes political figures. Further, the group is said to obtain additional income from selling items branded with its initials, registration and membership fees and other charges that it levies on its members (Fry, 2010). The KKK is mainly thought of as an idealist group, hence it has not formalized its existence in the U.S. previously, however, the group existed as an organization but went out of business following lawsuits and taxation cases it incurred. Multiple sources claim that the group used to scam its members of money, which would only benefit the top hierarchy of the group.

Capabilities of the KKK

Currently, the KKK operates as an idealist group, not a formalized one. Before the election of Donald Trump, most of the group's operations were almost negligible as the Obama government took a stand against racism and other forms of segregation (Harcourt, 2017). White supremacists groups are not considered as a viable threat on their own as they cannot seem to actualize into organizations that can be formalized. However, through social media and other means, the KKK and related groups are able to spur domestic terrorism and enable other forms of hate crimes (Harcourt, 2017). There have been numerous reports of hate crimes being on the rise, especially against minority groups e.g. Blacks and Jews. The most recent attack occurred in Charlottesville, to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The KKK and other 'alternative right' organizations are also spreading their reach to prisons, where there has been a rise of White Supremacists gangs. The Trump administration has been accused of not taking a strong stand against such forms of division. There were many 'White Pride' rallies in 2017, which are a clear indication that the KKK and other white supremacists groups are still very active in Kentucky and in the U.S.

The most recent citing of the KKK was in the National Gun Day at Louisville, where a journalist uploaded an image of a KKK vest with Nazi symbolism being put on sale. There were other additional items that had the Confederate colors and insignia on sale at the gun show. The event organizers noted with deep concern the display of white supremacy and said that it will not condone the sale of such items on its grounds (Klibanoff, 2017).

Conclusion

Due to the subversive nature of the KKK as a group, it is difficult to confront the individuals behind its formation. Additionally, the legislature has not declared the existence of white nationalist groups to be illegal, hence the legal action that can be taken against such groups is limited. However, the threat of radicalization stemming from the KKK and other white supremacist groups, coupled with the spur of hate crimes that will arise due to the existence of such groups is real and will need to be addressed not only in Kentucky but the U.S. as a whole. according to the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC), the initial steps are to build up what the imaginable focuses of a digital assault would be. These benefits are probably going to be quite certain to your association, and this is the reason it is significant that the danger and hazard examination procedure is synergistic. Refined digital aggressors don't penetrate your system without an explicit plan, and that purpose is more often than not to get to the information that you store that holds enthusiasm to them. The estimation of this data is with respect to the inspiration of the assailant; for instance, to a country state aggressor, protected innovation is a practical objective. This may hold constrained an incentive to a hacktivist bunch that is focusing on your business on the grounds that their inspiration is to make harm your image and notoriety.

References

Charles Lane (2019), Freedom's Detective: The Secret Service, the Ku Klux Klan and the Man Who Masterminded America's First War on Terror, Hanover Square Press. U.S.A

Cindy Alexander (2016), Statistics: Immigration in America, Ku Klux Klan membership: 1840-1940, Gilder Lehrman University Press, Chicago.

Eleanor Klibanoff (September 21st, 2017), The State Of Hate In Kentucky, accessed from https://wfpl.org/state-hate-kentucky/ on 3rd June 2019.

Felix Harcourt (2017), Ku Klux Kulture: America and the Klan in the 1920s, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Henry Peck Fry (2010), The Modern Ku Klux Klan, The Alexandria Press, Virginia.

History.com (May 22nd, 2019), Ku Klux Klan, accessed from https://www.history.com/topics/reconstruction/ku-klux-klan on 3rd June 2019.

Linda Gordon (2018), The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition. Liveright Publishers, Canada.

Megan Trimble (August 14th, 2017), KKK Groups Still Active in These States in 2017, accessed from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2017-08-14/the-kkk-is-still-based-in-22-states-in-the-us-in-2017 on 3rd June 2019.

Ron Stallworth (2018), Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime. Flatiron Books, U.S.A

SPLC (2018), Report on Hate Crimes and Extremist Groups: Ku Klux Klan, SPLC: Washington.