C.P. Ellis, The Former Klansman

After reading Studs Terkel’s interview with C.P. Ellis, the former President of his area’s Ku Klux Klan (KKK), I was shocked by the former Klansman’s change from racist to humanitarian. He first got into the Klan, because he wanted to be a part of something and because he wanted to blame someone for the injustice of his life. Mr. Ellis had many problems, which include having an alcoholic father, having to quit school before finishing the 8th grade after having his father die and needing to support his family, having a child who is blind and mentally challenged, and struggling financially. Mr. Ellis felt so much pain from all his problems that he decided to “blame the black people.” His father had always glamorized the Klan and was at one time in the Klan. Ellis followed his father’s footsteps and joined the Klan. He then moved up from “member to chaplain, from chaplain to vice-president, from vice-president to president.” Ellis felt like he was something by being apart of the Klan. This power led him to create a youth group that closely followed the Klan. Though, Ellis later became more understanding and eventually wanted to give up being in the Klan. He was later selected as a school board Co-President with Ann Atwater, who was a black, Civil Rights activist. Mr. Ellis despised working with a black woman, but eventually, Ellis came to realize that they were “two people from the far ends of the fence, havin’ identical problems.” The realization caused Ellis to change his mind about hating blacks for his personal problems. There are a few questions that this story raises in my mind. First question is, why can’t other people realize, like Ellis, that blacks, Jews, Catholics, and other races and religions are people just like them? The second question that this story raises is, why do we blame others for our problems? The story reminds me about the Civil Rights movement and how people’s opinions had changed greatly. People like President Johnson and President Kennedy, who did not care too much about the Civil Rights movement later became more involved with making it successful. This story also reminds me of Lincoln’s change in perspective over the issue of slavery. In Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, Lincoln did not truly care if the South continued to have slaves, but in Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln wanted to eliminate slavery and take care of this moral issue of racism. The story also reminds me of when I go to service at my synagogue. When going to services my synagogue has to have security, because of the acts of anti-Semitism in my neighborhood.