where I was to set a small cross on fire.
Many crosses have been burned by the Klan but not because they hate what it stands for. The original cross burnings were used to show the power of the Klan and the burning cross soon became a hate symbol idolized and used constantly by the group.
Then a church like service was held by a minister that I had recognized from the local church up near the campus of our school.
Klan members would convince priests and minsters to radicalize their ideas and join since their beliefs are so entrusted into the Christian faith.
Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard, although an awkward name is used for the title of leader. These leaders would oversee their regions of the Klan and hold meetings to give new info and celebrate their hatred.
all white robes with the white hat
The KKK's get up has always been a strong symbol in their desire to cause terror. Initially the hoods and robes were supposed to spark fear in those who were different especially the black community after the Klan's founding. They are generally used less for fear factor now a days and more of a way to hide the identities of those who carry out these horrible acts.
They told me how they finally after being able to get close with me that they were comfortable enough to open up to me about their secret lives and how that our fraternity had an underground Ku Klux Klan brotherhood, and they wanted me to be apart of it. After knowing them for quite a while I was initially stunned to find out that they had been involved in something so secret and unknown especially since these guys were my best friends at the time.
Many of the Klans members actually live in secrecy, due to the high profile of themselves because they didn't want those to know who they are. They wanted the secrecy so they could anonymously do their work and cause fear in minority and non christian people.
This wasn’t how I wished to view the world but at the time, being young and dumb I took this sense of power and I let it go to my head and I let it change how I saw everything. White was not any longer just the color of my skin but it empowered me in my mind.
The KKK act on the beliefs that the white race and Christianity are superior to anything or anyone else. Meanwhile the Klan's acting members are trying to make it seem like they are becoming more accepting of other cultures the roots of the organization are strong with these racist views. The views stem all the way back to 1865 after the abolishment of slavery and another strong surge of the Klan during the civil rights movements.
I moved in after my senior year of high school in a small guest house owned by my grandparents down in Tennessee and was accepted into a small college near Chattanooga.
Through my own research and personal experiences I felt like having the conflict in my story stem from the south. While this may seem like a general bias on southern states, much research and studying has gone into why there is such racism in the south even until this day. The reason for this hatred is a term called Racial Bias. People are unable to overcome this bias and with the deep seed of racism in many communities dating back to before the revolutionary war.
Being from a white privileged family I had heard my fair bit of casual racism through either family members and other people close to me, or through my peers who also seemed to be ignorant to much of the world as well as I was. While hearing this negativity throughout much of my childhood it kind of seemed to plant a seed in my mind as well about how I should view the world.
Many Klan members were influenced into joining or being apart of them because of people they were close to. People would find it acceptable because the people they found comfort in had found it acceptable. These people include, parents, relatives, friends, preachers, and political figures.
Being a white privileged teenage kid I took for granted many of the problems the world faced. The bulk of my knowledge stemmed from what my parents would tell me and what gossip would go around school or the local news. The extent of my problems were girls at school and trying to get into any college that would take my middle of the road grades and help me out with tuition.
I had learned that many Klan members rich or poor were very ignorant of the things going on around them. Many accepted racism because it was the easy thing to do. Looking through many ex members they all decided to leave or abandon the Klan because they finally created their own views not held or accepted by the group majority. It is because of this majority that many people fall into this deep sense of hatred because like i previously stated, it is easier to follow the group.
Both of my parents had a strong desire for church and religion to envelop a big part of our lives. Throughout my childhood, my family never missed a Sunday at our local church and my parents never fell short to bring religion into everything. This was one of the many things that shaped my life in a strong way making me a die hard Christian.. Believing in something so strong it’s hard to take anybody else’s ideals seriously. This started an early culture shock for me that being from a mostly white neighborhood I didn’t really understand.
From my research on the KKK many if not all members were strongly religious. In many demonstrative acts the Klan uses crosses or ideology that correlates closely with Christianity.
pain
pane
always wrong
always right**
when she says a “book club”, she obvious to others that this is someone who truly cares about what they do.
go over grammar in this sentence maybe? or maybe I just cant read idk
“Behind every mask there is a face, and behind that is a story.”- Sonia Zakrewksi. Every day we wear a mask to hide our true selves.
The quote is good, helped to draw attention.
pf
of*
Because
Not good to begin a sentence with because
In Susan Sontag's piece
Maybe transition this a little better, rather than bring up the idea of sontag's piece out of nowhere?
So the next four years of my life, I carried myself the way I did for all of my life but it was harder because of the setting I was in at Tinley.
Too long of a sentence?
The major difference between my two photos
Reference your photos more possibly instead of towards the end.