My latest documentary, The Ku Klux Klan In Oregon: 1920-1923 is screening Wednesday, January 20 at the Salem Public Library, Salem, Oregon at the Loucks Auditorium at 7 pm and at Portland State University on Friday, January 22 in the Multicultural Center in Smith Memorial Center at 6 pm. Both screenings are part of MLK Week for Willamette University and Portland State University.
I’ve received a few comments like why would you screen a film or documentary about the Ku Klux Klan during the celebration of Martin Luther King’s life and legacy. A perfectly legitimate question and my response to this is why not? Certainly the KKK was alive and well during Dr. King’s life. In addition, you could say that if it wasn’t for the KKK we wouldn’t have someone like Dr. King to come along to bring his message of peace and nonviolence and his hope that all people be accepted for who they are and not because of the color of their skin.
In order to appreciate what you have, it is sometime necessary to understand the history of how things were. This way, you could see the amount of progress that’s been made. One of my goals as a filmmaker is to not only look for compelling stories to tell, but to remind the audience that even though our current society is much more positive in regards to racial issues, there’s still a lot more work to be done. Remember, the civil rights movement began in the 1960s which wasn’t that long ago. Both Dr. King and Malcolm X told their audiences that education and an understanding of history is important by understanding history, you know where and how you got to where you are now. Things just don’t magically “appear” by themselves.
I am obviously excited about the screenings of the film and I’m prepared to be asked many questions, especially why view a film about the KKK during a week of celebration of society and the positive feeling of people across all races and ethnic backgrounds. Not everyone will agree that showing this documentary is a good thing and those who view the film might be shocked by what they see and hear. The KKK really did exist in Oregon in the 1920s and 30s but viewed in today’s world, it can also remind viewers how far we’ve come as a society. And how much more we can learn about ourselves and each other.
-Thomas Coulter
