22 Mar Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion- DEI Speaker & Trainers -Civil Conversations expert Daryl Davis!
DARYL DAVIS – Musician, Author, Compelling Unifier, Klan Whisperer, Award-winning Conflict Navigator, and noted DEI Speaker!
He’s not white. He’s not even light-skinned. Make no mistake about it; he’s black. Yet, Klan-Destine Relationships author, Daryl Davis has come in closer contact with members of the Ku Klux Klan than most whites and certainly most black. What’s more? He continues to do so, making him one of the most unique lecturers on the speaking circuit today.
Over the past three decades, Daryl Davis walked on the edge with one foot dangling over the precipice. His nonfiction stories of setting up surprise meetings with Klan leaders who were unaware of his skin color, and attending Klan rallies, has the suspense of Hitchcock, keeping audiences riveted to their seats in disbelief.
Widely covered in the press, Daryl is a master at disarming conversations and civil discourse to get to the root of the matter in a calm and productive way. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is much more than a concept, but rather systemic change, and change that Daryl understands and can help move forward.
Daryl’s suggest speaking topics below, are a window into the path forward in attaining true diversity, equity, and inclusion within our society for all.
Civil Conversations – You Can’t Change People’s Minds By Making Them Wrong
Contrary to what you might hope, most people won’t change their mindset just because you know they’re wrong and provide solid evidence to contradict beliefs they hold dear. Daryl Davis can attest to that. He’s had ample experience to prove it is mostly impossible to change someone else’s reality. However, Daryl has honed methods that make it easier to get an adversary to change their own reality. That simple shift allowed a Black man to find common ground and even close friendship with top leaders and members of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Klan Whisperer
Daryl Davis is a Black man who for almost 40 years has walked on the edge – with one foot dangling over the precipice – on a quest to explore racism. Along the way, Daryl has befriended White supremacists, attended Ku Klux Klan rallies, been a pallbearer at a Grand Dragon’s funeral, performed hymns at an Imperial Wizard’s funeral, stood in as the surrogate father of a Klanswoman bride – walking her down the aisle to be given away at her wedding to an Imperial Wizard, and spurred the dismantling of the largest Klan group in the State of Maryland.
What’s Driving White Supremacy Today?
From the high influx of non-European immigration to the United States, to a Black President, to a violent and deadly White supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, to the rhetoric that inspired an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, to fear of the “Browning of America,” “White Genocide,” and majority-minority reversal in the year 2042…Daryl Davis is the voice of knowledge, reason, and tranquility in uncertain, racially turbulent times. For nearly 40 years he has been studying and dealing directly with some of the biggest promulgators of White supremacy, their fears, and their quest for power. His expert opinion is often sought by such leading news organizations as CNN, MSNBC, National Geographic, NPR, The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Newsweek, and The Atlantic. Daryl’s insights bring business leaders, law enforcement, policy makers, educators, and average citizens up to speed – helping them understand what’s to be expected and what can be done.
Hail, Hail Rock’n’Roll – Deliver Me From the Days of Old
It was music that launched Daryl Davis’ crazy connection to the Ku Klux Klan. He was complimented at a show by a White man who said he’d never heard a Black man play piano like Jerry Lee Lewis. Daryl explained that Lewis, who was actually a friend of his, learned his style by imitating Black artists of the day. The guy didn’t believe it. He also confessed to being a member of the KKK. The ensuing conversation led to an introduction to the leader of the Maryland KKK. Daryl interviewed him for his book and became his unlikely friend.
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