What We Don’t Forget
We look back on history with the notion of certain events happening in the distant past. It’s so distant that, more often than not, we forget that the offenders are still alive today. Even though we have moved forward as a society, looking down on the actions of our ancestors. Some people never change. They pass on their radical beliefs down from one generation to the next, which leads us to today.
Their Activity Today
The KKK is known as one of the oldest and most violent hate groups across the states. Nowadays, their hate is not only directed at black people, but also directed towards other minorities. Members of the LGBTQ+, immigrants, and Jewish people have all been targets of the KKK. As of recent years, there has been a decline in active KKK member activity. This can be chalked up to COVID-19, however, there has been a trend of their decline for the past few years.
Now, they work as separate groups and continue to cause each other problems. Infighting, disloyalty among groups, and lack of media coverage were some of the main issues that caused their decline. As well as, in 2021 several cases of members getting doxed. In 2022, many internet forums, websites, and social media but continue to get banned and kicked off different platforms for their continuous hate speech.
We Don’t Forget
As we move forward, we refuse to forget the violence of the past. Deep southern states like Alabama and Mississipi have a tendency to look the other way when it comes to facing their own history of racism. However, in 2018 a memorial was opened in Montgomery, Alabama. This museum was dedicated to the victims of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and lynchings. This museum aimed to bring these horrible acts of violence to light, but also to let us come to terms with our history.
Works Cited
https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/tattered-robes-state-of-kkk-2016.pdf
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/ku-klux-klan
https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/anonymous-doxing-missouri-kkk-ferguson/
“Some people never change. They pass on their radical beliefs down from one generation to the next, which leads us to today.”, Nicolle writes.
I believe this statement tells no lies.
Unfortunately the world we live in today has a dark past, a past filled with hate, discrimination, inequality, lack of human decency, stolen rights, and inhumane treatment.
Thankfully there has been a great deal of change having to do with equality, but it still has to be recognized that it has not changed fully. Unfortunately many individuals have secret beliefs that would reflect an old way of thinking. I say secret because many individuals would never admit to their opinions publicly due to backlash, but feel comfortable in their own homes to speak freely whether or not their opinions are based around racists beliefs. Many children at a young age are influenced with ideas and concepts by the people they are surrounded by at a young age. The beliefs and concepts morph the child’s way of thinking leading them to be conditioned into practices that they see as normal because they were taught it. I strongly believe racism is taught within the home, and is a cycle that can be damaging to generations if not corrected and educated.
The fact that the KKK is still an active organization that antagonizes people of color or of the LGBTQ+ or people of certain religions only shows that “some people never change”.