A notebook with meeting minutes and a ledger are among Ku Klux Klan-related items that the Mississippi state government uncovered while clearing out an
FILE - A monolith listing the names, dates and rationale for the lynching of African-American residents rests in the foreground of a photograph of a burning Ku Klux Klan cross on display in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Miss, Nov.
10, 2017. A notebook with meeting minutes and a ledger are among Ku Klux Klan-related items that the Mississippi state government uncovered while clearing out an office, offering new glimpses into the violent white supremacist group known for its secrecy and links to law enforcement. All the objects have been transferred to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Officials say it will take months to process all the materials. They can serve as a reminder of the Klan’s history in the state and highlight the importance of preserving history so it is not repeated, according to Black civil rights advocates. “I’m glad these stories are coming out because it was a real pain,” said Charles Taylor, executive director of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety last week disclosed the discovery of several KKK objects while preparing to relocate to new headquarters. Unearthed inside a suitcase were a handbook for the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Klan charters, a Klan robe, KKK recruitment materials, propaganda such as a “The Ugly Truth about Martin Luther King” pamphlet, meeting notes, ledgers and a list of members who paid and didn’t pay their dues. Officials with the Department of Archives and History said they are not shying away from the discovery. “Mississippi Highway Patrol Troopers and agents with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety have worked for decades with our federal law enforcement partners to shed light on the darkness in which groups like the Ku Klux Klan chose to operate,” said DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell. “By preserving these artifacts and shedding light on such organizations, we help ensure that future generations are never led astray by such hate.” Formed just months after the end of the Civil War by six former Confederate officers, the Klan originally seemed more like a college fraternity with ceremonial robes and odd titles for its officers. But they began terrorizing freed Black citizens. Congress effectively outlawed the Klan in 1871 but it resurrected during World War I. With the enactment of the South’s Jim Crow laws, the Klan’s presence grew. By the 1960s, the Klan was responsible for lynchings, burning of churches and other attacks, Taylor said. In 1964, Klan members abducted and killed three civil rights workers in what became known as the “Mississippi Burning killings.” The Klan also bombed the state’s only synagogue in 1967. An arsonist set fire to the same synagogue in January. Taylor says the newly found artifacts remind us that it wasn’t that long ago and underscores the importance of ensuring that no law enforcement officers serving now have the same beliefs as the KKK. “It’s one thing to be able to say very clearly this was here but it was at their place,” Taylor said. “Folks were studying as they were supposed to be providing safety for all Mississippians.” Department of Archives and History Commissioner Barry White said items like administrative records and a charter are significant, as the Klan was notoriously secretive. “MDAH is grateful to Commissioner Tindell for recognizing the historical significance of this material and transferring it to the archives,” White said. “These records will give researchers broader access to documentation that deepens our understanding of Ku Klux Klan activities in Mississippi during the 1960s.” Stephanie Johnson-Toliver, president of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, which focuses on archiving Black history, said protecting history even in this context is important. Making the inventory accessible will allow members of the public to “look at the history that definitely harmed and was traumatic and remains to be harmful and traumatic here in the United States,” Johnson-Toliver said.A notebook with meeting minutes and a ledger are among Ku Klux Klan-related items that the Mississippi state government uncovered while clearing out an office, offering new glimpses into the violent white supremacist group known for its secrecy and links to law enforcement. All the objects have been transferred to the Mississippi Department of Archives ATLANTA — Ahead of the World Cup, Chris Richards has a new take on what makes America unique. “Maybe the TSA lines right now, that’s pretty American,” the U.S. defender said Monday ahead of a World Cup warmup match against Portugal. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Richards lives much of the year in London, Leslie Sherman-Shafer, an Uber driver in the San Francisco Bay Area, likes to start each shift with a full tank of gas. It used to cost her around $25 to fill up her Toyota Corolla. She’s spent closer to $40 since the Iran war began and pushed up the average U.S. price for a gallon MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration sued Minnesota and its school athletics governing body on Monday, carrying out a threat to punish the state for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports. The lawsuit is part of a broader fight over the rights of transgender youth. More than two dozen states have laws prohibiting WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has flouted a court order blocking it from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Defense Department’s headquarters, a New York Times attorney asserted Monday in urging a federal judge to compel the government’s compliance with the 10-day-old order. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman didn’t immediately rule from TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida hospital has dropped its lawsuit seeking to evict a patient who refused to vacate a room for months after she was discharged because, the hospital said, she finally left. Tallahassee Memorial Hospital filed the lawsuit this month requesting an injunction to force the woman to leave room 373 and WSECU Community Champion: Chrystal Ortega’s mission to feed Spokane Chrystal Ortega's tireless dedication recently earned her the WSECU Community Champions Award and a $1,000 grant to further the mission.When Shawn Tibbitts opened Tibbitts FernHill, he was just trying to survive. 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Mississippi Department of Public Safety discovers Ku Klux Klan artifactsA notebook with meeting minutes and a ledger are among the Ku Klux Klan-related items found recently when a Mississippi government office was cleared out. The discovery offers new glimpses into the violent white supremacist group known for its secrecy.
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