Over the weekend I attended the National Faith and Freedom Conference, an annual event thrown by a prominent faction of the Ku Klux Klan in Zinc, Arkansas, a tiny town just (population: 103) outside the city of Harrison (population: 12,943). I was accompanied by Gawker‘s Hamilton Nolan to document the fringe gathering for sheer, morbid curiosity.
Among the 50 or so attendees—-not counting the young kids—-were Charity and Shelby Pendergraft, sisters who formed a musical group called Heritage Connection. The Pendergraft girls are also the granddaughters of Pastor Thomas Robb, the “National Director” of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan or as the organization prefers to be called, the Knights Party. The duo has been singing at this function and others like it for the past several years. It’s a family thing apparently, as their mother Rachel, happens to the be the Knights’ spokeswoman.
To attend the conference, I had to sign a contract that stated I wasn’t allowed to photograph the people attending, even with their permission, unless they were sanctioned by Pastor Robb, which made for tricky shooting. Keep in mind, this particular Klan offshoot only dons the hoods and robes once a year at their annual Klan Congress and that is the only time you’ll catch them “lighting” the cross.
Although considered to be largest of the more than 100 white power groups utilizing the KKK name and the only one with a “national office,” you couldn’t tell by both their modest compound or for that matter, membership, which was so low that Pastor Robb refused to disclose the numbers. Imagine how low it would be if members couldn’t mail-in applications, a practice that attracts a fair amount of criticism from other Klan factions, whose average membership tends to between 6-10 people and is extremely local. For some reason, I had expected at least 100 people, but this was a meager showing, a testament to a once powerful brand of hate that is now barely clinging to life (or relevance) while other white supremacist groups are flourishing. Damn, thats gotta sting.
Click through the gallery of photos with captions for a sampling of the event and read Hamilton’s long-form account here.
(Photos: ANIMALNewYork)
So how was the food?
Speaking of the food, I love that they have "Nachos" on the menu!
"Ain't that "Mexican" food, Boy?!?" (<–say it in your best redneck drawl)
What a bunch of asshats.
C'mon, Obama, they're all in one building.. Drone that shit, man. Bring on the drone!!
that dolphin is really gay.
In all honesty, it just looks like any other rural, white, republican tea party meeting. Take away the KKK symbol and toss up a elephant.
Is that "James, the N****r-hating Dolphin?" Damn, Chappelle was right.
I'm from Harrison, Ar. which isn't far away from their hillbilly/cult looking "compound". This area is way to beautiful to have these people around! They are nasty, gross, ignorant people. I love the diversity that has come to Harrison in the past few years! I say bring on more blacks, asians, mexicans, etc. and get these ugly, stupid, idiots who call themselves "Knights" out of here! "Knights" of what? Their ugly-ass wife's heart? How romantic! And just to show you how ignorant they are they mentioned how whites were more intellegent than blacks…..in the same article they go on to say that they think it's a tragedy that out of most texting-related car accidents that the majority of deaths are caused by white people. Yeah, there ya go America….I guess us "white folk" are smarter! Please go away you dumb-butts…your giving the rest Arkansans a bad name!
It's "you're" Mrs. Hardman…… I wonder if indeed it is these people giving Ar. a bad name?
The abbreviation is AR. USCSStudent. Guess even you are not perfect!
Goodness UCSCStudent, thanks for the correction. It sure is nice when a stranger can help someone out. We are know in AR to be quite helpful, nice, and caring people. YOU'RE helpfullness would fit in GREAT around these parts. If you find anymore grammer mistakes in THIS note, feel free to correct me again. I sure hope you can come and visit soon. Maybe you could even give me a couple English lessons. Your opinion is much appreciated! Thanks again!
Oh by the way UCSCStudent, when I mentioned "This area is way to beautiful to have these people around!", should I have said way TOO beautiful or did I have it right the first time? Thanks!
I love all this "News" being said by a person that said that if he was alive when Christ was crusified he would have HEPLED CRUSIFY him. I really wonder that if the media is this bias what are the chances of getting to the real truth. I seem to remember hearing one of the two "reporters" say that they arrived at the F&F Conference already knowing what he was going to write. So much for truthful reporting.
MrsHardman3, Why did you fail to mention that Harrison only has a .4% population of "Minorities? Are you not being somewhat disingenious in your account of the Diversity in Harrison. When you get down to it there are only around 10 families in Harrison that would be classified as Minoritys. If your going to say someting at least be truethful about it.
Now if anyone would like to get the truth about what the Knights stand for all you have to do is go to kkk.bz and get it first hand and not told thru tainted eyes.
I am sure that tis will start some S#it and to that all I will say is Hate is Hate no matter who the target is. If you profess not to Hate then don't spread it.
I never said I didn't hate….I just don't "hate" blacks! And yes growing up I never seen any blacks around here…over the last ten years there have been a larger number of blacks in Harrison than the ten years before that. Six years ago I lived in an apartment near North Arkansas College and was fortunate to become friends with my neighbor Kendric from Alexandria, La who was attending college. And what are these "tainted eyes" you speak of? I just call it like I see it! Everyone has an opinion and my is that the "Knights" are racist obviously! Mabye it is the "Knights" who have tainted eyes!!!
I don't even know who said that "he would have helped crusify Jesus" not someone I would have a conversation with. Also, I didn't say we had a bunch of minorities in Harrison, which is why I first stated "Bring them on". I have no interest in the website has to say but thanks for the invitation to view it. I just want to say that Whits are no more perfect than any other race out there and vice-versa!
*Whites….sorry!
@ARHillbilly: First off, not surprisingly you lie. Neither Hamilton nor I said or made mention of what would be reported beforehand. Secondly, while its true that Harrison is almost exclusively white (13,000+ whites/34 blacks), obviously they want nothing to do with the Klan. Had they, the so-called Faith and Freedom conference would have had more attendees. Third, yes I made that joke about stabbing Jesus, not crucifying him (or however you spell it), but only to make a point about my thoroughly agnostic beliefs and to make light of how absurd it is for some groups to co-opt his message and lineage (for e.g. the KKK). Plus isn’t that an ode to my Roman whiteness? I thought you people would appreciate it. Finally, you and the Knights love to talk about “white love,” but that quickly devolves into hate of anyone who isn’t white. It’s nothing more than a thinly veiled PR tactic.
@ARHillbilly: First off, not surprisingly you lie. Neither Hamilton nor I said or made mention of what would be reported beforehand. Secondly, while its true that Harrison is almost exclusively white (13,000+ whites/34 blacks), obviously they want nothing to do with the Klan. Had they, the so-called Faith and Freedom conference would have had more attendees. Third, yes I made that joke about stabbing Jesus, not crucifying him (or however you spell it), but only to make a point about my thoroughly agnostic beliefs and to make light of how absurd it is for some groups to co-opt his message and lineage (for e.g. the KKK). Plus isn’t that an ode to my Roman whiteness? I thought you people would appreciate it. Finally, you and the Knights love to talk about “white love,” but that quickly devolves into hate of anyone who isn’t white. It’s nothing more than a thinly veiled PR tactic.
@Bucky Turco Can you site onetime in any of the speachs that you heard the word HATE? I was there all three days and can not remember one time. As for @MrsHardman3 she just proved my point that she has no interest in learning the TRUTH about the Knights. She just want to keep spouting the same ol garbage about something she knows nothing about. Even the military works on the "Know Your Enemy" system. If you going to profess to write an acurate,inteligent article about the Knights then at least do ALL your research and not base it on half truths and lies like has been done over and over again thru time.
With this I will end my post. May all of you have a great life and love thy neighbors.
You know you don’t have to actually say the word “hate” right? I think the sheer act of handing out Skittles and Arizona iced-teas when Trayvon Martin was brought up speaks volumes more than that 4-letter word.
As for the neigjbors: Right, unless they’re black or Jews, cause that’s what Jesus would have wanted.
Haha, so apparently KKK members spend all day googling "KKK" and commenting on whatever they find?