Daryl Davis - One man and the Ku Klux Klan: The power of meeting conflict with curiosity
Inside Influence
English - October 06, 2021 00:33 - 1 hour - 146 MBManagement Business Marketing business entrepreneur leadership marketing negotiation sales Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Daryl Davis - One man and the Ku Klux Klan: The power of respectful communication
How does a black musician who’s jammed with the likes of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, BB King and even Bill Clinton - become friends with an Imperial Wizard from the Ku Klux Klan?
In this polarised world, breaking down entrenched positions may be the most important skill needed by us all. If two passionate sides can agree to disagree, long enough to find what they have in common - could we overcome climate change, poverty and even racism?
My guest on this episode of Inside Influence podcast would say a resounding yes.
On today’s Inside Influence Podcast episode I talk to R&B musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis about talking to the “other”.
Growing up overseas as the son of diplomats, he returned to the US as a 10-year-old and was shocked to discover that people could hate him because of the colour of his skin. Later that year he saw MLK assassinated.
This formed a question that went on to define the course of his life: “‘How can you hate me if you don’t even know me?”
Through music he discovered a beautiful universal language and had a wonderful career playing the piano for some of the greats such as Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis.
One night while playing in a bar in Frederick Maryland, he met a Ku Klux Klan member and decided the best way to find an answer to his question was to attend their rallies.
Rather than a debate, he was looking to have a conversation. Rather than trying to convince or convert, he decided to approach people with curiosity and respect.
Over the past 30 years, Daryl Davis has inspired 200+ people to quit the Ku Klux Klan. Through dialogue and (as you’ll come to hear) a thirst to first understand before being understood.
Daryl Davis is an award-winning R&B piano player, actor, author, and race relations expert.
He has worked with Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley's Jordanaires, The Legendary Blues Band and many others. He currently tours with The Daryl Davis Band. He is also an actor and appeared on HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire.
As a Race Reconciliator, he has been sent around the world by the State Department to talk about conflict reconciliation and race relations. He has won numerous awards and has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and other media outlets to talk about race relations.
He hosts a podcast called Changing Minds and has written a book on his relationships with Klu Klux Klan members called “Klan-destine Relationships”
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daryl-davis-5226b24/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/realdaryldavis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realdaryldavis/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarylDavisRaceReconciliator/
“One person can make an exponential change because when they impact another, that person then goes on to impact another.”
“You cannot change someone’s reality, they have to change it themselves.”
“You have to invite the other to participate and when you see that happen collectively, that is when huge things happen.”
If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy
Bob Chapman – Truly human leadership: What it means to lead like everybody mattersHamish Thomson – Why it’s not always right to be right Judy Atkinson - 4 Keys to Transform Conflict with Deep ListeningJonah Berger - How to change anyone's mind without having to pushThanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the Inside Influence Podcast! If the information in my conversations and interviews have helped you in your business journey, please head over to iTunes, subscribe to the show, and leave an honest review. Your reviews and feedback will not only help us continue to deliver great, helpful content, but it will also help us reach even more amazing people just like you!
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