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Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Alan" <alanalanrkelchner.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:45:53 -0700 X-Message-Number: 1
It would seem to me that, whether or not we find the KKK distasteful,
that a quilt made from member's robes would be important. It had never
occurred to me that anyone in the KKK quilted. This is very interesting,
and if offered, I certainly would add it to my colection.
Alan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 01:39:12 -0500 X-Message-Number: 2
Alan wrote: > It would seem to me that, whether or not we find the
KKK distasteful, that a > quilt made from member's robes would be
important. It had never occurred to > me that anyone in the KKK
quilted.
Exactly: the quilt indicates the family's investment in the enterprise
and is a revealing part of our history, the region's history.
These people are far more numerous than we on this list imagine.
So far as I know, scholarship has not pinned down the
"typical" Klansman. And reporters who follow national trends
treat the group as if they are straight out of "Deliverance."
Since such groups generally represent abiding social and economic
discontents that are not being addressed through regular institutions, it
would be well if somebody took a more serious look at them, probably. They
might be the canaries in the mine.
In the meantime, one of their kinswomen thought highly enough of a
retired robe (retired by death?) or robes, to memorialize the association.
That means folks in the community considered KKK a worthy endeavor. A lot
of folks, probably, because we don't make quilts hidden away in back
rooms. And that a lot of people found this activity acceptable tells us
about a specific society in a specific time.
That quilt is precisely like the Masonic quilts which seem to interest
quilt historians. Just a different group.
Several years ago a cousin showed me a photograph of her grandmother,
my mother's oldest sister. It was taken in the late twenties or thirties.
Big as life, there she was wearing a Klan hat (they look very much like
dunce caps) and holding some Klan gear, making a comic pose. From the
sun's shadow, one could see the shadow of the photographer, a man. My aunt
was young and the photograph was not taken at my grandmother's place, but
it was clear she was friends with a Klansman. My most pacific,
good-natured, loving aunt, who tutored children black and white in a time
when that simply was not done. I do not know whether it was the man she
married, much disapproved of by her family. But I know that she must have
been in college at the time. She came from a deeply religious and an
educated family. And yet there she was, making a photograph to remember
the moment, a photograph she later did not throw away in shame. That
photograph is like the Klan quilt.
It always reminds me why Franklin Roosevelt curried the favor of the
Klan in his first election.
To find the local Klan group near you or to locate the nearest declared
Hate Group, you may go to the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
This organization gets mixed reviews and has a few biases of its own, but
its count is probably reliable. Go to http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp
For all of you who, like me, love Prussian Blue, there is an article
that might make you rethink your preferences:
"Neo-Nazi Twins Teen Angst
The same week that Lynx and Lamb Gaede took their neo-Nazi pop singing
act Prussian Blue to Sweden and Germany this July, a revealing new
documentary on the girls and their white supremacist stage mom April
debuted on British TV."
With Falstaff, I sigh, What IS this world coming to?!
gaye
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Subject: Atlanta Underground Quilt Museum From: Edwaquiltaol.com Date:
Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:27:32 EDT X-Message-Number: 3
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charset"US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I went there last year and when I arrived there was a lecture about
African Heritage and textiles. I found it very interesting and
informative. There was a decent group in the audience and the message left
to the adults in the audience was to pass on your heritage to your
children. Meanwhile I wandered around looking at the quilts and reading
the tags about the quilts. This information left many questions about the
entire theory. And the lecture in front of the sampler quilt related to
the UGRR blocks was most interesting. There were the usual
"artist" hangers around taking the owners time, so I didn't have
a chance to talk privately with her. But I decided the only question I
would ask if I had a chance was....."how do you answer your
critics". I thought this would be the most non conformational
question I might ask. I was not there to attack but just to see what it
was all about. I thought being billed as a history museum was "guilding
the lily" sort of idea. Only the most unknowledgable about quilting
would see it as that.
Holice
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new
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-------------------------------1186831652--
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Subject: RE: old silk threads and old ribbon From: "Kay
Sorensen" <Kaykaysorensen.com> Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:55:50
-0400 X-Message-Number: 4
I would test the thread by pulling on it and seeing if you can break
it. Storage conditions can also affect the strength or lack there of. I
don't know what you consider old, but I have used some of my grandmother's
silk thread and it still is fine.20 It also could depend on what you use
the thread for.
Do you intend to use the ribbons for something or just preserve them?
I would guess the paper is not acid free and would change it to acid
free if my intent was to preserve them. Kay Sorensen
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Will it never end.....(UGRR).....grrrrrrrr! From:
"Sharron K. Evans" <quiltnsharroncharter.net> Date: Fri,
10 Aug 2007 19:33:21 -0400 X-Message-Number: 5
I was having a most pleasant afternoon today binding a quilt. I had the
television on for some background noise. The History Channel was showing a
series of programs entitled "Cities of the Underworld". Now how
harmless could that be! They discussed under the cities of Boston and
Philadelphia .... and then, Concord, and the subject of the UGRR came up.
I'm thinking, "Surely they check their facts". Then they said
it! "Quilts on the clothesline......yada yada yada. Nooooooooo! I'm
beginning to think we're waging a war we just can't win!
Best regards, Sharron...... ........mortified north of Houston
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: MargaretFaheyaol.com
Alan
I understand your point intellectually, barely, but the idea of it has
chilled me to my deepest being.
Margaret
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Kris Driessen <krisdriessenyahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 04:57:09 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 7
To answer the question, how did he know the quilt was made with Klan
robes - I didn't ask. But in the course of conversation, he told me that
his childhood impression of the Klan was that it was a social
organization. They had picnics and family outings, they offered a place
for the adults to play cards. He doesn't recall any hate talk at all.
Granted, he was a child at the time, but still. If you are going to
teach hate, you start with the children. There is no Klan in my area (that
I know of), so this could be a naive question: could it be that the Klan
lost it's purpose along the way? That would account for why a picture
taken in Klan robes was never destroyed.
It's not so odd to me that Klan robes would have ended up in a quilt.
It's fabric, after all.
Kris
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: RE: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Sarah Hough"
<dougandsarah1comcast.net> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:11:04 -0500
X-Message-Number: 8
In Uncoverings 2006 there is a very good article about a KKK quilt that
was accepted by the Michigan State University Museum.
Just a thought.
Sarah
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: RAGLADYaol.com Date: Sat, 11 Aug
2007 08:31:41 EDT X-Message-Number: 9
If the Klan's purpose was ever anything but what it is now recognized
for, "losing its way" would be a very generous statement.
Gloria ragladyaol.com
krisdriessenyahoo.com writes: There is no Klan in my area (that I know
of), so this could be a naive question: could it be that the Klan lost
it's purpose along the way?
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Joan Kiplinger <jkipncweb.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 09:03:14 -0400 X-Message-Number: 10
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Apparently the Klan has turned political from what I've read and
heard.. Every so often they get a license or permit to rally in our county
seat. Supporter turnout is nil and any crowds they do attract heckle them
so badly that within 15 minutes they pack up and go wherever they go. It's
been about 2 years since their last appearance so with national elections
coming on, they may attempt another return.
RAGLADYaol.com wrote:
If the Klan's purpose was ever anything but what it is now recognized
for, "losing its way" would be a very generous statement.
Gloria
>
--------------070406050306010206090509--
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Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Candace Perry" <candaceschwenkfelder.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:26:04 -0400 X-Message-Number: 11
It is imperative that it be donated to a museum. Indiana in the 1920s,
I believe, was a hotbed of Klan activity, so I would not be at all
surprised if it actually came from there. I am sure the Indiana state
historical society would be very much interested. This material, however
odious it may seem, must be preserved. I would add to Gaye's interesting
post that the Klan was not only interested in the persecution of blacks,
but also had great opposition to the influx of Roman Catholics from Italy,
Ireland and eastern Europe in the early 20th century....and of course,
anyone of the Jewish faith. My grandfather, who otherwise was a fine
hardworking man who loved his family, participated in the local PA Klan
because of his suspicions about the "foreigners." His
granddaughters later married a Jew and an African American, and now this
granddaughter is involved with a Roman Catholic Italian. Poor Pop. He
could not win. Candace Perry
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: bees From: laurel <laurelkalmiaresearch.net> Date:
Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:58:30 -0400 X-Message-Number: 12
For anyone still interested in this topic: In the August 6 issue of
/The New Yorker/, there's an article about the disappearance of honeybees.
Laurel Horton
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Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan quilt From: laurel <laurelkalmiaresearch.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 10:56:58 -0400 X-Message-Number: 13
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the article in /Uncoverings/ a
couple of years ago about the Ku Klux Klan quilt from Michigan. Museums
seek to collect artifacts related to area history, including those
associated with less savory aspects.
Laurel Horton
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Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Alan" <alanalanrkelchner.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:07:16 -0700 X-Message-Number: 14
Thank you Kaye. You went where I was unable to.
Alan
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Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Alan" <alanalanrkelchner.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:09:38 -0700 X-Message-Number: 15
> I understand your point intellectually, barely, but the idea of it
has > chilled me to my deepest being.
I fully understand that feeling. A while back we had discussed swastika
quilts and the reaction was similar. Of course, being the old codger I can
be, I took a different, more generous stance.
Alan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Alan" <alanalanrkelchner.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:12:42 -0700 X-Message-Number: 16
Community is based on the interests of a group of people. Blacks, gays,
hippies, Jews, Christianity. The KKK having a community makes perfect
sense. In a community you do what is normal for you. In the gay community
you have extravagantly flamboyant parades once a year. It seems in the KKK
you spout hate and make quilts. Quite a counterpoint in my mind.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klan quilt From: Stephen Schreurs <schreurs_ssyahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:47:07 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 17
The article Laurel Horton refers to was in 2006 Uncoverings, and is a
paper by Marsha MacDowell, Charlotte Quinney, and Mary Worrall. Mary
should be credited, especially, for her brave presentation at Seminar of
this emotionally difficult topic. In the spirit of sunshine being the best
disinfectant, the historical context of a KKK fundraising quilt was
examined, considered, and discussed. But I think many concurred that the
interests of history were best served by deepening our understanding
through these historical artifacts. And, it must be said, that the better
understanding does not imply the condoning or excusing of what amounted to
domestic racial terrorism. Susan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Stephanie Grace
Whitson" <stephaniestephaniewhitson.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007
11:31:44 -0500 X-Message-Number: 18
The Klan has not lost its way. No Random Act by Dave & Neta
Jackson. Murder of a beloved black basketball coach and other minorities
by a white supremicist just a few years ago
Stephanie Whitson
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klan quilt/Swastika flag/historical significance
From:
But I think many concurred that the interests of history were best
served by deepening our understanding through these historical artifacts.
And, it must be said, that the better understanding does not imply the
condoning or excusing of what amounted to domestic racial terrorism. Susan
This is a thought-provoking subject. My DH was in WWII and still gives
presentations about the Battle of the Bulge to schools, scout troops, etc.
Among the artifacts he shows, besides army gear like shovels, boots,
helmets, K-rations and v-mail, is a flag with the swastika on it. He
explains its significance at the time and why the war was fought. He also
shows a torn and tattered US flag that flew over one of the islands in the
Pacific during the war in that part of the world. Seeing it always brings
tears to my eyes.
After a presentation to the scouts, he was brought to task by the
parents saying it was inappropriate to show the flag. He was dumbfounded.
How will kids know what is happening in their world if they don't know
their history, including symbols, as abhorrent as they may be. How can
they recognize evil if it presents itself again?
I concur with Susan about the quilt being kept by a museum and being
used in a way to further understand a part of American history including
some we're not too proud of today.
Carol Grace
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Stephanie Grace
Whitson" <stephaniestephaniewhitson.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007
11:37:54 -0500 X-Message-Number: 20
Fascinating stuff, Gaye. I think we are all dealing with a current day
question about "hate groups" as well. Don't we all hope and pray
(and perhaps know) Muslim Americans who are not "as they seem"
in the media. . . but rather are family oriented people we consider our
friends. Discovering family history linked to KKK, we think the same.
"not my friends." And it may be so. I have a dear older friend
who once discovered KKK robes behind a dresser in an unused bedroom in her
parents home. She never knew who's they were. . . had no clue. The world
can be a wondrous and frightening place. And, oh, The tales our quilts
could tell if only they could talk. . . Stephanie Whitson Higgins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Weather fears From: "Stephanie Grace Whitson"
<stephaniestephaniewhitson.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 11:40:31
-0500 X-Message-Number: 21
I think Julia was at a ball when her intended danced with another girl.
In a fit of temper, Julia decided to walk home alone, not mindful of the
slush at her feet. She got a chill, contracted pneumonia. . .and died of
thin shoes.
But yes, your point is well taken. . .as to what was meant by the
person who put that on the tombstone. I believe there may be more than a
"hint" of bitterness.
Stephanie
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Stephanie Grace
Whitson" <stephaniestephaniewhitson.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007
11:43:14 -0500 X-Message-Number: 22
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Today our fears
are of illegals and, instead of Catholics, Muslims. (Not debating here,
just
observing social history). I hope someday my grandchildren look back on
these days of unrest and wonder what the heck everyone was so worried
about. Please, Lord. Stephanie Whitson Higgins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Stephanie Grace
Whitson" <stephaniestephaniewhitson.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007
11:44:23 -0500 X-Message-Number: 23
But when swastika quilts were being made. .. the symbol didn't mean
Hitler. Or am I wrong about that? STephanie Whitson Higgins
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klan quilt/Swastika flag/historical significance From:
"Candace Perry" <candaceschwenkfelder.com> Date: Sat, 11
Aug 2007 12:50:59 -0400 X-Message-Number: 24
The fact of the matter is -- in this obsession with PC-ness we can't
have honest discussions about anything. My children are bi-racial, and I
told them about their great grandfather's activities...not that I wanted
them to hate him or feel ashamed, but rather understand that certain
attitudes arise from the times in which we live. All we can do is hope to
not perpetuate the attitudes. And to understand the often subtle
distinctions between good and bad, which are sometimes, to those who may
traffic in generalities, hard to grasp. Candace Perry
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: Mitzioakesaol.com
You are 100% correct - that symbol goes way back before Adolf! Mitzi
from Vermont
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 13:10:08 -0500 X-Message-Number: 26
Kris wrote: > could it be that > the Klan lost it's purpose along
the way? That would account for > why a picture taken in Klan robes was
never destroyed.
Interesting question, Kris, because it raises another: What was/is the
purpose of the KKK?
The KKK was founded by Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in Pulaski, TN after
the CW. Its original purpose was law-and-order in the insane world of
reconstruction. It bears note that nothing got reconstructed except the
institution of slavery. The formerly enslaved were simply turned loose
with their illiteracy and lack of experience and high-minded promises. And
those very promises---failed---created anger and frustration. The
Abolitionists and others who had condemned the system and demanded instant
emancipation did not arrive to set up schools and job training and
employment bureaus. In a South utterly destroyed, with the group of young
men that would have provided leadership decimated, this group was just one
more problem, along with a five-year drought, destroyed seed and farm
implements, vanished livestock, and in many cases, destroyed towns,
cities, and homes. Chaos prevailed. The Klan was conceived, acc. To Andrew
Lytle, Forrest's biographer, to promote local enforcement of laws and to
insure some order. In that bleak time, it seems actually to have a
reasonable purpose.
I am unconvinced it had any such purpose in the 20th century. In
Louisiana, there were no Klan picnics and similar public occasions. I do
not know that the men who murdered black people in nearby states in the
1960's and early 1970's were KKK. If they were not, they missed a good
chance. In Louisiana, David Duke's initial adherents were blue-collar,
uneducated, ill-paid, and disaffected people who had become radicalized in
the chaos of the sixties and marginalized by affirmative action procedures
and a degraded public school system.
To say the Klan exists is one thing. To say that FDR had to make peace
with it is one thing. To suggest it had any good purpose in the 20th
century is another. Like many hate groups, it is a symptom of social and
economic problems. A sore that needs attending to.
I suspect the photo of my aunt was not destroyed because she married
the man to whom that robe belonged. And I suspect that is why he was so
unpopular among family members. In a family of independent-minded,
educated women, he was regarded as Neanderthal bully. That photo made me
think my aunts were right.
gaye
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: a second look From: "Lucinda Cawley" <lrcawleycomcast.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:07:39 -0400 X-Message-Number: 27
There's still time to see the Chester County quilts at the Historical
Society in West Chester, PA. If you will be within 100 miles of
Philadelphia before Sept. 16 don't miss it. I went back last Sunday and
spent even longer than I had on my first visit reveling in the most
amazing aggregation of turkey reds I've ever seen. They've put the Pennock
quilt away and in its place are two silk quilts: a Baby Blocks dated 1875
and an 1857 quilting sampler in bronze and black silk made by Anna Mary
Brinton (1843-1918)--13 when she made the quilt! There's a small gallery
of mostly silk quilts, but they aren't my favorites so you'll have to go
see them for yourself. I spent most of my time with the 1840-1860
friendship quilts that cause me to move very slowly and smile vaguely at
anyone who crosses my path. Last time I was so dazzled by the quilts that
I didn't notice the directions for Chester County Soldiers' Socks printed
in advance of the Phila. Sanitary Fair in 1864. The ladies of Chester
County were urged "to distinguish from all others, let the ribbing at
the top be red, white and blue, one inch of each color." The blocks
in several of the quilts were red and blue (except for the signature
square) with green sashing and no borders--an unusual color
combination. Speaking of unusual fabrics, the 1843 Caesar's Crown had
one with an apple green background printed with yellow, red and blue
ditsies. Another block had a black chain and brown ribbon printed on a
chrome yellow ground. There is much more to see at CCHS, clocks,
furniture, paintings and a series of alcoves built around paneling,
fireplaces etc. from local houses. A tiny girl on her father's shoulders
exclaimed "Look at the beautiful blue room." Cinda on the much
cooler Eastern Shore
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Shari Spires" <skspiresbellsouth.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:47:27 -0400 X-Message-Number: 28
I found out from my father that my grandfather was a member of the KKK
in the Chicago area during the depression era. I was shocked to learn this
as Grandpa was such a gentle and fair individual. But, apparently the KKK
had a resurgence during the Great Depression when people were desparate
for work. I can remember my grandfather saying that the Catholics gave all
the jobs to other Catholics and the Polish gave all the jobs to the Polish
and so on.
I can see how desperate people might turn to something like that when
they had families to feed. Nothing about the KKK was ever discovered in my
grandparents effects and none of my other cousins knew anything about it.
When I worked as a reporter in Florida from the 70's to 90's our paper
was often the target of KKK demonstrations. I covered a few of their
issues. Once, to my surprise , I found one of our pressmen at a conclave
in full regalia.
I agree there needs to be more documentation of the role this org. has
played through our history. Shari in NC ----- >
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Sharron K. Evans"
<quiltnsharroncharter.net> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 15:26:17 -0400
X-Message-Number: 29
> But when swastika quilts were being made. .. the symbol didn't
mean Hitler. > Or am I wrong about that? > STephanie Whitson Higgins
I'm currently reading a reproduction of Ruby McKim's book, "101
Patchwork Patterns". She talks about the swastika quilts and I kept
thinking how her words did not sound ominous or negative. It dawned on me
about halfway through the book that Ruby originally wrote this book in
1931. In it she refers to the swastika as an "ancient symbol of good
luck". She had no idea what it would come to represent.
Best regards, Sharron....... ............in sunny Spring, TX
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: RAGLADYaol.com Date: Sat, 11 Aug
2007 16:56:05 EDT X-Message-Number: 30
If Lytle gave credit to Gen. Forrest as being the founder of the KKK,
he must have used a little bit of "author's license". At least
according to the special report I've been reading by the Southern Poverty
Law Center.
http://www.iupui.edu/~aao/kkk.html And one by the ADL: http://tinyurl.com/2fyfv8
<quote> But in the late 1860's white Southern voices against the
Klan were in the minority. One of the Klan's greatest strengths during
this period was the large number of editors, ministers, former Confederate
officers and political leaders who hid behind its sheets and guided its
actions.
Among them, none was more widely respected in the South than the Klan's
reputed leader, Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a legendary Confederate
cavalry officer who settled in Tennessee and apparently joined the Klan
fairly soon after it began to make a name for itself. Forrest became the
Klan's first imperial wizard, and in 1867 and 1868 he was its chief
missionary, traveling over the South establishing new chapters and quietly
advising its new members.
The ugly side of the Ku Klux Klan, the mutilations and floggings,
lynching and shootings, began to spread across the South in 1868, and any
words of caution that may have been expressed at the Nashville meeting
were submerged beneath a stream of bloody deeds. <endquote>
Questionable is the widespread perception that the KKK was made up
largely of illiterate, low-life, lower class miscreants from the southern
states, although certainly those also made up the KKK
"communities". After the KKK's birth, semi-death and
resurrection after WWW1, the Klan spread into northern , central,
mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as well as regenerating in the
southern states (from the SPLC article and other sources).
Whatever innocuous beginnings the KKK may have had, they disappeared
within six months and their bloody, murderous, terrorism spread with a
focus on blacks, but also on N-lovers/sympathizers, Jews, Catholics,
homosexuals and any ethnic group or persons that didn't fit the common
WASP profile of KKK members.
There are other stories and examples of KKK quilts (among them the MSU
holding), Google search: http://www.google.com/search?hlen&ieISO-8859-1&qKKK+quilts
But IMO to equate quilting as being a traditional part of the KKK
"community" based on perhaps a few quilts attributed to some
unknown quilter(s) using KKK robes/gowns/etc. would be stretching things a
bit, much unlike the annual nationally known gay pride parade and other
similar events.
One "hit" that came up on one of my G-searcher which I found
interesting was the The Penumbra Theatre Company Quilt article. Not
because of the small snippet about the KKK, but all of the other
information about black art used in textiles and other mediums.
Gloria ragladyaol.com
gingramsuddenlink.net writes: To Andrew Lytle, Forrest's biographer, to
promote local enforcement of laws and to insure some order. In that bleak
time, it seems actually to have a reasonable purpose.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klan quilt/Swastika flag/historical significance From:
Mary Anne R <sewmuch63yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:32:04
-0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 31
--- Jccullencrewaol.com wrote: ...a flag with the swastika on it. He
explains its significance at the time and why the war was fought. After a
presentation to the scouts, he was brought to task by the parents saying
it was inappropriate to show the flag. He was dumbfounded. How will kids
know what is happening in their world if they don't know their history,
including symbols, as abhorrent as they may be. How can they recognize
evil if it presents itself again?
Exactly! Who was it that said 'those who don't study history are
condemned to relive it?'
Mary Anne
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Alan" <alanalanrkelchner.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:24:12 -0700 X-Message-Number: 32
> But when swastika quilts were being made. .. the symbol didn't
mean
> Hitler. > Or am I wrong about that?
You are correct. The swastika was not originally a symbol of evil.
Rather, it was a symbol of peace. I got the following from the web:
The Original Meaning
The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su"
meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and
"ka" as a suffix.
Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many
cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power,
strength, and good luck.
Even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol
with positive connotations. For instance, the swastika was a common
decoration that often adorned cigarette cases, postcards, coins, and
buildings. During World War I, the swastika could even be found on the
shoulder patches of the American 45th Division and on the Finnish air
force until after World War II.
A Change in Meaning
In the 1800s, countries around Germany were growing much larger,
forming empires; yet Germany was not a unified country until 1871. To
counter the feeling of vulnerability and the stigma of youth, German
nationalists in the mid-nineteenth century began to use the swastika,
because it had ancient Aryan/Indian origins, to represent a long
Germanic/Aryan history.
By the end of the nineteenth century, the swastika could be found on
nationalist German volkisch periodicals and was the official emblem of the
German Gymnasts' League.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, the swastika was a common
symbol of German nationalism and could be found in a multitude of places
such as the emblem for the Wandervogel, a German youth movement; on Joerg
Lanz von Liebenfels' antisemitic periodical Ostara; on various Freikorps
units; and as an emblem of the Thule Society.
Hitler and the Nazis
In 1920, Adolf Hitler decided that the Nazi Party needed its own
insignia and flag. For Hitler, the new flag had to be "a symbol of
our own struggle" as well as "highly effective as a
poster." (Mein Kampf, pg. 495)
On August 7, 1920, at the Salzburg Congress, this flag became the
official emblem of the Nazi Party.
In Mein Kampf, Hitler described the Nazis' new flag: "In red we
see the social idea of the movement, in white the nationalistic idea, in
the swastika the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man,
and, by the same token, the victory of the idea of creative work, which as
such always has been and always will be anti-Semitic." (pg. 496-497)
Because of the Nazis' flag, the swastika soon became a symbol of hate,
antisemitism, violence, death, and murder.
What Does the Swastika Mean Now?
There is a great debate as to what the swastika means now. For 3,000
years, the swastika meant life and good luck. But because of the Nazis, it
has also taken on a meaning of death and hate.
These conflicting meanings are causing problems in today's society. For
Buddhists and Hindus, the swastika is a very religious symbol that is
commonly used. Chirag Badlani shares a story about one time when he
went to make some photocopies of some Hindu Gods for his temple. While
standing in line to pay for the photocopies, some people behind him in
line noticed that one of the pictures had a swastika. They called him a
Nazi.
Unfortunately, the Nazis were so effective at their use of the swastika
emblem, that many do not even know any other meaning for the swastika. Can
there be two completely opposite meanings for one symbol?
In ancient times, the direction of the swastika was interchangeable as
can be seen on an ancient Chinese silk drawing.
Some cultures in the past had differentiated between the clockwise
swastika and the counter-clockwise sauvastika. In these cultures the
swastika symbolized health and life while the sauvastika took on a
mystical meaning of bad-luck or misfortune.
But since the Nazis use of the swastika, some people are trying to
differentiate the two meanings of the swastika by varying its direction -
trying to make the clockwise, Nazi version of the swastika mean hate and
death while the counter-clockwise version would hold the ancient meaning
of the symbol, life and good-luck.
Alan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: AG32040aol.com Date:
Central FL. is still an active K.K.K. center according to articles in
newspapers and the A.D.L.,etc. The quilt should be in a museum near
it's origin for people to learn about an era of intolerance that still
exsists. Amy G.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: bees From: <parsnips1verizon.net> Date: Sat, 11 Aug
2007 18:41:35 -0400 X-Message-Number: 34
Thanks, Laurel. Its great to see important topics like this published
outside of farm and garden magazines. The article is online. Pat
> For anyone still interested in this topic: In the August 6 issue
of /The > New Yorker/, there's an article about the disappearance of
honeybees. > > Laurel Horton
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:38:30 -0500 X-Message-Number: 35
Shari wrote:20 > I can see how desperate people might turn to
something like that when the y > had families to feed.
This is my point about the importance of a quilt or other memorabilia
of KK K or any other group: they tell us things political histories often
oversimplify. I maintain these groups often really are the canaries in the
mines: they reveal symptoms of social malaises the majority often
suppresses.20
We are learning how common these were now and will learn more as that
generation passes away. Yet AQSG membership has been abuzz in recent years
with quilts made by women to honor men's organizations. There has been the
theory that by making such a quilt, women were participating in the
"public sphere." While feminist criticism has called the
"separate spheres" theory into question, at the very least women
were honoring some male activity in which they no doubt found merit and,
probably more importantly, honoring a specific man through the use of
things important to him. In that regard, I see no difference in a KKK
quilt and a quilt made to honor a Freemason or a Gay Pride quilt. All are
social statements made by minority groups, two by minorities that feel
threatened.
Candace noted the PC factor and the way it often precludes open
discussions . Every generation has its own PC dictionary, though few have
been so open an d unabashed as ours. The material object stands on its
own, suggesting a context in time and place and attitude and there for
each generation to rea d anew.
As most who know and have contributed to the Southern Poverty Law
Center ar e aware, that entity is not immune either to PC or error or what
often appear s like a hate list of its own. Its rhetoric suggests the less
than disinterested voice with which they speak. As one who once
contributed to the Center's work, I always reserve my judgment about the
opinions it espouses. Its data on KKK is the most reliable part of the
site.
Like Shari, to appreciate the existence and rise of the KKK, I believe
one must place it in context. It is not Southern pride or personal bias
that makes me suggest we take a long look at Reconstruction. People, black
and white, literally starved to death in the American South after the
Civil War . Reading letters and journals from this period is often almost
overwhelming Across the South, Lincoln's death was viewed with genuine
alarm. History showed that alarm to be valid.
There was no Marshall Plan for the South in the wake of the Civil War.
Ther e was no plan for equipping the newly freed black men and women for
life in a democratic republic and a capitalistic society. The resulting
desperate situation is far more complex than the SPLC and most histories
suggest.
History books view he last fifty years of the 19th century are viewed
as sunny, the rise of a middle-class nation. That conception in no way
include s the American South, which suffered bitterly during and after
that time. Thi s region was, after all, not a white region. Indeed, it was
the only region i n the nation in which the number of Negroes often
exceeded the number of Caucasians in districts. And by far the majority of
this new group of citizens was ignorant and innocent. Slave narratives
reveal that many expected freedom to bring instant prosperity, which it
alone could not do i n America. Add to that the huge Scots-Irish migrant
population that also ofte n lacked education, and you have a volatile
situation.
By failing to use its unprecedented national wealth to provide the
newly free--and indeed all citizens in the ravaged land--with the tools
for success, the federal government consigned the black southerner to
another kind of slavery, the slavery of the unskilled outsider. It
guaranteed poverty across the region.
The South has been the site of KKK depredations more often simply
because i t is the section of the nation where black and white people live
side-by-side and where the black population has been large enough actually
to threaten lower income whites. Having traveled through the sections of
Ohio and Indiana that have such large KKK populations, I have never
understood what sustains them, for I see in those regions only white
European faces.
It has become clichE9 that the Treaty of Versailles created the Third
Reich and WW II. I've wondered why American historians never seem to have
considered the possibility that a failed and inadequate Reconstruction
created the era of Jim Crow and the ensuing strife of the sixties.
Perhaps another age than ours will look at the KKK quilts and see what
we cannot see in them. That is why we should preserve them.
Gaye Ingram
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history From: Stephen Schreurs <schreurs_ssyahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:01:48 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 36
"I see no difference in a KKK quilt and a quilt made to honor a
Freemason or a Gay Pride quilt. All are social statements made by minority
groups, two by minorities that feel threatened."
Gaye, perhaps I misunderstand you. I agree that the Klan probably
served a social as well as political function, and that quilts honoring
the organization or an individual might well have been made...but I DO see
a difference between KKK and Gay Pride and other minority organizations. A
minority organization seeks visibility and a vision of justice in order to
be full participants in civil society. KKK, at core, seems to me to have
been trying to form a "fraternal" bond between some in order to
find the means to exclude others, perceived as unworthy. Naturally, the
greatest poverty is the poverty of spirit which comes of the fear that
there is not enough (food, money, jobs) to go around. In the postwar
South, and in the depression, that fear was certainly based on real
conditions - but the goal, still, was to assert continuing dominance and
entitlement to power. No doubt there were leaders who played up the threat
of the numbers of "them" - but I think the underlying appeal was
in reaffirming white supremacy as some kind of natural order of things.
Can it be possible, that as human beings, we keep casting our pearls
before the myths we might have wished were true? And then find we have
become part of something despicable? Say it ain't so.
That would mean we might have to keep relearning the lessons. Darn.
Susan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: "Shari Spires" <skspiresbellsouth.net>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:17:15 -0400 X-Message-Number: 37
Gaye, I really appreciate your comments. They are so inciteful and
always tied to a larger sphere of history. Shari in NC
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 00:54:31 -0500 X-Message-Number: 1
In a thoughtful post, Susan wrote questioning my statement " I see
no difference in a KKK quilt and a quilt made to honor a Freemason or a
Gay Pride quilt. All are social statements made by minority groups, at
least two by minorities that feel threatened." Because her statement
is closely reasoned and thus not easily edited, I refer any who are
interested in the topic to it.
In making that statement, I am not making a value judgment of any one
of the three organizations. Nor am I equating or even considering their
moral content. I refer to their value as historical statements. That women
made these quilts suggests to me that a particular community in a
particular time considered the organizations they represented as somehow
worthy. That is why I hope this recent KKK quilt stays where it was made,
presumably in Indiana.
Susan notes: "I DO see a difference between KKK and Gay Pride and
other minority organizations. A minority organization seeks visibility and
a vision of justice in order to be full participants in civil society. KKK,
at core, seems to me to have been trying to form a "fraternal"
bond between some in order to find the means to exclude others, perceived
as unworthy."
Again, the moral merit of these organizations was not central to my
point. Viewed as quasi-political organizations, these strike me as more
similar than dissimilar. All have agendas that appear to run counter in
critical ways to more orthodox or generally accepted agendas. All, it
seems to me, are striving for political power. And in each case, their
holding that power will lessen the power of any whose views are
inconsistent with that specific group's. In each case the organization
perceives its own goals as just and worthy, the views of those who oppose
it as unworthy. That, perhaps, is one of the problems with political
solutions. They get lost in abstractions.
> Can it be possible, that as human beings, we keep casting our
pearls before the myths we might have wished were true? And then find we
have become part > of something despicable? Say it ain't so.
Susan, I wish I could. I've spent a lifetime wanting to be able to say
it ain't so.
My own experience has taught me to distrust political solutions to
spiritual problems. I think it works the other way around.
It is relatively easy to entice or coerce a number of people to sign on
with a cause politically. Any cause. It is much harder to instill in a
number of people genuine humility and charity of the sort that permits one
to see in one's neighbor a vision of himself and recognizes the
intellectual limitations of both neighbor and self. That kind of equality
is the only kind that can guarantee political justice, in my view.
And it's the kind that happens one person at a time. Yet, I suspect it
is the only basis for any other kind of equality.
Because I personally believe man is deeply flawed and incapable of
fully understanding himself or others or of comprehending Truth in its
entirety, I envision no utopias.
Yet I have seen enough examples of individual spiritual growth, of
individuals who come to see themselves in their neighbors---including
their neighbors' tendency toward occasional blindness or myopia---that I
have hope for individuals. Personally I do not believe we ever fully
overcome our selfishness in this world. But considering the distance from
where we start, any progress is to be cherished and viewed as promising.
That you and I, apparently differing in some of our particular visions,
can entertain the idea that we might hold only part of the truth and that
we might learn more from one another---that we can question ourselves and
turn an idea inside out, strikes me as hopeful.
For several years I taught in a classroom from which I could look in
the distance and see second- and third-graders at play. Talk about raw
power plays and mean-spirited politics, I saw it in those children at
play. So when my high schoolers entered the classroom and began to talk
about "our" problems as human beings, I believed in progress.
gaye
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history From: Stephen Schreurs <schreurs_ssyahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 05:08:21 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 2
Gaye, thank you for the complement of your reply. I suspect that our
respective points of view might be more close than we expect! Probably
something to explore over a good meal.....or several! Let's see...corn
bread, with and without sugar, Boston baked beans, something creole,
something with curry, ....chiles....dim sum.....jerk
chicken.....kielbasa....kosher deli....
Susan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: KKK quilt From: Palamporeaol.com Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007
08:50:52 EDT X-Message-Number: 3
1) Did anyone call the man and get a description of this quilt? 2) Is
it made of silk or cotton robes? Are portions of the robe still in it that
look like a garment? Or is it just white fabric that was said to come from
robes? 3) I need someone to answer my question about felt being used to
write on textiles. It actually ties into this conversation. Do you know of
any fraternal organizations that made quilts/blankets and then stitched on
felt letters of their group name? In the early to mid-1900's? 4) KKK
outfits were not just homemade. They were made by companies who made band
uniforms, majorette uniforms, etc. I once did conservation on a silk cape
of a grand whatever and it had the label in it from a store that made
these types of items. I need to find those notes..... It was about 15
years ago when I did the work. I only did it for the historical value. At
first I refused to do the work and then was convinced that it was HISTORY
that we didn't need to repeat. But it still gave me the creeps. Lynn
Lancaster Gorges Historic Textiles Studio New Bern, NC
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
-------------------------------1186923052--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: MSU Museum KKK quilt From: Mary Worrall <worrallmsu.edu>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:45:20 -0400 X-Message-Number: 4
--_1728234.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset"us-ascii";
formatflowed
Recent discussions have mentioned the KKK quilt in the collection of
the Michigan State University Museum. I wanted to share some information
about the quilt.
The quilt was made in 1926 in Chicora, Michigan as a fundraising quilt
for the Klan. The quilt consists of pieced blocks in a pattern that mimics
a Klan crosswheel design. The pieced blocks are set alternately with
blocks containing signatures. Research found that the names represent the
majority of Chicora's citizens at the time the quilt was made. There is
also an embroidered block that says "Chicora K.K.K.K. 1926" and
a block with an embroidered figure of a hooded Klansman. An image of the
quilt can be found on the Quilt Index at http://www.quiltindex.org/kkk.php
.
The quilt is currently on exhibit at the museum. This is the text that
accompanies the quilt:
"In 1987, Loma Bell Rowe Mudget gave away some of her belongings
to family members. She knew that her nephew Karl, a high school teacher,
was interested in family and local history and presented him with a
bag, inside of which were two items Karl had never seen before: a family
bible and the K.K.K. quilt. Loma told Karl that she had inherited the
quilt from her father, also Karl's grandfather, Frank, when he had died in
1960. As an educator and historian, Karl was determined to find out more
about it. Karl brought the quilt to the attention of historians
specializing in state and local history and importantly, Karl interviewed
elder family members about the quilt.
Karl discovered that his paternal aunt, Grace Rowe Way, at age sixteen,
had been enlisted, much to her embarrassment but because she
had fine handwriting and sewing skills, to stitch names onto the quilt.
Way recalled that each person paid 10 cents to have their name
stitched on a block and when the quilt was completed, members of the
local Klan entered a raffle to win it. Karl's grandfather, Frank Rowe,
held the winning ticket."
"The K.K.K. Fundraising Quilt: A Primary Resource for Research and
Education
This quilt, done in the Redwork style, is a significant example of how
textiles are important documents of history and how objects of material
culture provide primary source data for describing, analyzing, and
understanding aspects of human history. The materials,
construction, design, pictorial imagery, signatures, the oral histories
and related ephemera, and even condition of this quilt hold
clues that strengthen and expand our understanding of quiltmaking, of
Klan activity, and of the social and cultural history of a particular
community at a particular point in time.
Whether or not they intended to do so, members and supporters of the Ku
Klux Klan in one Michigan community created--in this Redwork textile--an
artifact that continues to be a testimony to their beliefs, relationships,
and actions. In an age where we continue to struggle with local, national,
and global issues of tolerance, social
justice, and human rights, this artifact can help us understand the
roots of fear and intolerance and to serve as a powerful reminder not
to perpetuate the mistakes of the past."
We are in the process of adding a question and answer booklet to the
exhibit that includes additional information about Klan history, the
community the quilt was created in, the quilt's design, why the quilt
was donated to the museum, and why a quilt such as this would be
preserved by the museum. We are also working with a number of university
classes and a community reading program (http://www.onebook.msu.edu/) to
include the quilt in lesson plans and programs. This unsettling and
disturbing quilt is being used as a
teaching tool and to open discussions about diversity and tolerance.
Mary Worrall
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Masonic and Klan alike? From: "Marilyn Withrow"
<mmwmarilynquilts.com> Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:27:58 -0700
X-Message-Number: 6
Ouch!!! To quote Gaye -- for whom I have the deepest respect, and I
suppose that's why her statement -- "That quilt is precisely like the
Masonic quilts which seem to interest quilt historians. Just a different
group"-- stunned me so. What a painful statement to make -- painful
at least for me and probably for anyone else who is now or ever has been
associated with the Masonic Order. Obviously Gaye has little or no
knowledge about the Masonic Order or other orders affiliated with the
Masons when she compares them to the KKK. The KKK was a hate group against
blacks and other groups. The Masonic Order is based on Christianity, and
certainly not on dislike or hatred of any other groups. All the functions
of this group are Bible-based, and many good works are done in the
communities where Lodges are located, as well as national and
international charitable activities. Just think of the Shriners Hospitals,
if nothing else. To be a Shriner, one must first be a Mason.
The only possible link would be that Masonic or Shriners or Eastern
Star or Demolay or Rainbow Girls or Jobs Daughters (all groups affiliated
with the Masons) also made quilts, usually to commemorate a special
occasion, and are of interest to those involved in that particular Lodge
as well as of interest to quilt historians. I am in the process right now
of repairing a quilt which was made for my cousin who is a national
officer in the Order of the Eastern Star, and I am proud to be doing that
for him. Yes, him -- the Eastern Star is primarily for the women of the
Masons, but Masons are also welcome and hold high offices in that group.
My cousin is a Past Worthy Patron many times over.
I'm probably going to be in big trouble for this, but I just couldn't
let that statement stand without some clarification.
Marilyn Maddalena Withrow Past Worthy Matron, Order of the Eastern
Star, and proud to be a member of a family where every male but one is now
or was a member of the Masonic Order.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle"
<maquilterepix.net> Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:10:44 -0400
X-Message-Number: 7
Stephanie,
As previously posted, you are correct. The swastika has a long history
prior to WWII and in Victorian times was a symbol of good luck. I have
seen many quilts c. 1900 with the symbol and have often considered adding
one to my collection; however, my DH is not at all in favor of the idea
because of what the symbol has come to represent. My father and his
brothers served in the US Navy in WWII and my family, both maternal and
fraternal, originates in The Netherlands. I had family in Holland in WWII
and I have heard first-hand accounts of those years.
I respect my DH and my family's feelings about the symbol and while I
see the Victorian era pieces for the good luck charms they were meant to
be, I will probably never have a swastika quilt in my collection. Still,
the swastika like the KKK and other distasteful things we would rather
forget are a part of history. I believe the best place for the
aforementioned KKK quilt would be a museum especially if one near where
the family who owned it lived because it is a part of that community's
history; a safe place where the history can hopefully be told without bias
to educate.
Where I live in PA is very close to what I have learned is a 'hotbed'
of KKK activity just across the state line. That community is primarily
white and I have been told the KKK residents there intend to keep it that
way to the best of their ability. I believe that is why the KKK is so
prevalent in sections of the north like Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Maryland. The KKK is not gone any more than the Nazi's. These groups are a
part of our past and our present - we can only hope for them to someday
not be a part of the future.
Mary Ann's quote is exactly correct, "Those who don't study
history are condemned to relive it."
Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle PS - Cornbread needs sugar!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Masonic and Klan alike? From: "Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle"
<maquilterepix.net> Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:17:18 -0400
X-Message-Number: 8
Marilyn,
I did not hear Gaye compare the organizations themselves. I understood
her statement to refer only to 'the quilts' representing social and
political organizations being a part of a collective group.
What Gaye said is, "I see no difference in a KKK quilt and a quilt
made to honor a Freemason or a Gay Pride quilt. All are social statements
made by minority groups...."
Clearly the organizations represented by 'the quilts' are as different
as they can possibly be.
Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: RAGLADYaol.com Date: Sun, 12 Aug
2007 10:57:45 EDT X-Message-Number: 10
You can definitely add Michigan to those states as well......
Egads, although I've know this for some time, I was astonished and
dismayed to discover that the "national" headquarters for one
faction of the KKK is no more than 5 minutes from my home in Fraser, MI.
Despite the headline on the following, Fraser, MI is not in western MI, it
is in the southeastern part of Michigan. It's a small "bedroom
community" where income is above the national average, about 20 min..
northeast of Detroit. http://www.mediamouse.org/resources/right.php?orgId5
The Far Right in West Michigan: Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan has a long history of activity in the Midwest and in
Michigan (in the 1970s Klansmen in Michigan used bombs to destroy school
buses in order to prevent desegregation) and is probably the most
well-known racist organization in the United States.
However, since the 1980s the Klan's influence has declined as it has
split into different factions while failing to attract the interest of
younger racists. Still, the Ku Klux Klan's various splinter groups have
remained active in varying capacities, with Michigan being home to
chapters of The Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Imperial Klans of
America, United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and the
National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Of these groups, Michigan is the
national headquarters for the United
Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which is based in
Fraser, Michigan.
Activities in Michigan Midland, Michigan Klan member Randy Gray spoke
at an August 4, 2007 white supremacist event in Kalamazoo. Phil Lawson of
the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, claims that
his group is growing in Michigan due to popular discontent over
immigration in an interview in the Oakland Free Press.
An interview with Proposal 2 supporter and financier Ward Connerly
shows Connerly saying "God bless them" regarding the support of
the Ku Klux Klan in the anti-affirmative action campaign. In October of
2006, the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
distributed literature supporting the passage of Proposal 2.
During the summer of 2006, Michigan Klan organizer Randy Gray spoke at
the Klan's 50th Anniversary (Knights Party faction) on the use of public
access television as a recruiting and organizing tool and airs a show
called "This is the Klan" on public access television in
Midland, Michigan.
In 2004, the Mystic Knights of the Ku Klux Klan organized members to
collect signatures for the anti-affirmative action Michigan Civil Rights
Initiative (Proposal 2).
In the 1990s there were a number of Klan rallies in Michigan, in Grand
Rapids in 1995, in Ann Arbor in 1996 and 1998, in Kalamazoo in 1998,
Ironwood in 1997, and Lansing in 1994, as well as the Klan associated
NordicFest in Traverse City in 1997.
Gloria ragladyaol.com
maquilterepix.net writes: I believe that is why the KKK is so prevalent
in sections of the north like Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: "Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle"
<maquilterepix.net> Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 11:53:03 -0400
X-Message-Number: 11
Gloria,
I think we can be thankful that the topic of the KKK quilt has been
raised and is being discussed because look at how much the conversation is
opening all of our eyes to what exists right in our own neighborhoods!
Even if the quilt represents an organization with 'questionable'
motives it is an amazing tool for education for us all.
I read information on one site indicating a Klan outfit from Orange
County, New York and a quilt created by the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama
will be on display in Liverpool England at their International Slavery
Museum. The exhibit will be in part of the museum related to 'positive and
negative effects of trade throughout the world. The article mentions that
very few of these items are on display outside the US, however, I may be
naive but I don't know of very many KKK outfits on display inside the US.
Gee's Bend quilts, now that's an entirely different subject. Still, I am
trying to visualize a Gee's Bend quilt and a KKK outfit on display
together . . .
Greta VanDenBerg-Nestle
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: atlanta underground From: ikwlt <ikwltyahoo.com> Date:
Sun, 12 Aug 2007 09:38:02 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 13
>I went there last year and when I arrived there was >a lecture
about African Heritage and textiles. I >found it very interesting and
informative ...snip... >But I decided the only question I would ask if
I had a >chance was....."how do you answer your critics". I
>thought this would be the most non conformational >question I might
ask. I was not there to attack but >just to see what it was all about.
>Holice
when i found a link to the museum, i wrote the contact person (teresa
kemp) who is the daughter of ozella williams' niece (serena wilson) if i
recall correctly. here is our correspondence:
i plan to visit atlanta next month and had heard about the museum in
the atlanta underground. from the website i just searched, it looks as tho
it no longer exists. can you tell me if that's right, or where it is now?
thank you very much, i hope to be able to visit. patti
Hi: That is correct, I closed the museum in March 2007 and I may reopen
when I find a suitable handicapped accessible location. the museum was
free to come to visit and I want to keep it as low cost as possible.
I have exhibits on the road one is at WVSU in Institute WVA, until
October.
Call me if you have questions or need information.
Teresa R. Kemp "Atlanta's Quilt Lady UGRR Quilt Code Museum &
Culture Center Phone (404) 468-7050 E-mail: trkemphotmail.com
i wish it were still open, like holice my main point would be to see
what it was all about and how it was presented. his excellent question
would be the beginning of a hopefully lengthy conversation, just wish i
could get to use it. of course my question would be to see "THE
quilt" that serena wilson has said is in her possession. of course i
doubt that will ever happen because then the whole story would come
tumbling apart. patti
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Masonic and Klan alike? From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 11:48:30 -0500 X-Message-Number: 14
Marilyn Withrow wrote: > Obviously Gaye has little or no knowledge
about the Masonic > Order or other orders affiliated with the Masons
when she compares them to > the KKK.
Gaye is the daughter of a 32nd-degree Mason, was for one year of her
much younger life a Rainbow Girl, and has attended the funerals of six
paternal uncles in which the the Masonic rites were employed. Her two
children were the recipients from their school of the local Masonic
Honesty & Integrity Award and so she has even seen the inner-sanctum
of the local order of Masons. She owns her father's kidskin Masonic apron
and has worked into a collage a gold Masonic emblem belonging to her
father, one she didn't fully understand until she read an article in a
recent issue of Blanket Statements.
Please see recent post addressing this issue of comparison.
But that is irrelevant at best. At worse, it is an argumentum ad
hominem.
The value of the Klan quilt is not as am emblem of some national virtue
or vice. It is in its representation of community. It reveals, as I said,
values and views of a particular a community at a particular time. It also
reveals one way that women commented on their communities in that time.
The attitudes toward it of those who have been its keepers also reveal
important views.
As Candice and Shari and others have observed, real life is complex and
three-dimensional, not linear and one-dimensional.
Moreover, Truth and Good are not comprehended in any single viewpoint.
It might be comforting in our own times to regard the Masonic viewpoint as
noble and the Gay Rights viewpoint as THE correct one and the KKK
viewpoint as totally evil and held only by dastardly individuals. It is
tempting. The good historian must be less self-righteous or limited in his
vision. He must find many ways to locate and describe the truth that is
present in any era. Material objects---the things we keep in cedar chests
and pass down from one generation to the next---help us see that in its
complexity.
I add this, though it is aside from my original post and not directly
related to the value of the KKK quilt: I am sure many Catholics and Jews
would see the Order of Freemasons as somewhat less than enlightened and
noble. At one time enough Americans questioned Masonic values enough to
form a party opposing the organization. And merely from watching
television news, I know that many religions groups regard homosexuality as
deviant.
Historians need to keep their eyes on history, not personal polemics.
The historian who is not open to new meanings in what he discovers is a
poor historian. To be blinded by one's own personal values is a limitation
in a historian. Contemporary orthodoxy establishes one thing only:
contemporary views and their strengths. It does not establish the moral
worth of a behavior or person.
Gaye Ingram
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Ku Klux Klan Quilt From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:04:06 -0500 X-Message-Number: 15
Greta wrote: > Still, I am trying to > visualize a Gee's Bend
quilt and a KKK outfit on display together . . .
Greta, I'm smiling. I found your post refreshing.
As for the vision you mention, visualize it: they lived side by side.
They might complement even one another. What an idea!
Thinking of that KKK "hat" made me remember one similar to
it, a tall, perfectly pointed witch's hat made for me by my mother at
Halloween in my second-grade year. She had taken great pains getting it
right in those days before all the miracle adhesives. Some time after my
children were in college, I was visiting with my mother when she had been
cleaning out the attic storage room. Among the things she had saved was
that witch's hat. She pressed it on me. Having a storage area that itself
needed clearing out, I demurred politely. She was not to be refused. It
went that way, politely and indirectly, for a while. Then she said,
"Oh, Gaye, take it. You might NEED it sometime!"
The voice of a woman who had grown up in tight financial times and who
was a Victorian sentimentalist. :)
gaye
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: KKK in South Dakota From: Mary Waller <mswalleriw.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:54:07 -0500 X-Message-Number: 16
Is the KKK quilt currently being discussed on QHL a KKK-themed quilt,
or a quilt made from fabric formerly in KKK robes, but with no KKK
symbolism or message? If it's the latter, is it an example of a
resourceful quilter recycling materials at hand? And perhaps even putting
"bad" fabric to "good" use?
Paraphrasing from Betti VanEpps-Taylor's chapter, "African
Americans", in A NEW SOUTH DAKOTA HISTORY, Hoover, Miller, et al,
2005, Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD: The
KKK experienced a national revival post-WWI, using themes of patriotism
and nativism. It provided affordable and important recreational
opportunities for families, as an alternative to old line fraternal
organizations. In South Dakota, the Klan appealed to rising Protestant
fears and its publicity and violence was aimed at Catholics, mostly
Eastern European, and not so much at African Americans here. "To the
credit of white South Dakotans, many people of good will who had joined
the Klan terminated their membership as soon as they realized its true
agenda."
Ms. VanEpps-Taylor includes an account of a cross-burning in Yankton
(southeastern corner of SD, on the Missouri River, first territorial
capitol) in the 1920. Yankton had both a large Catholic and
African-American population at the time. The Great Depression took
precedence away from the Klan here, and it was insignificant, if not gone,
by the end of the 1930s.
My beloved history professor, Dr. Hoover would have us also consider
the role of the popular film, BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) in popular thought.
In A NEW SOUTH DAKOTA HISTORY, Dr. Hoover writes of the film, "The
work was not just entertainment, either; it sent a message, neither subtle
or gentle, which inflamed viewers for years to come and stirred racial
hatreds that survive to this day. In one scene of the ground-breaking
epic, a young girl is forced to leap to her death when cornered on a cliff
by a renegade black man bent on assault. In another, an innocent family of
whites huddles in a cabin beset by black troops; the males hold the butts
of rifles over the heads of women, to keep them, if need be, from 'the
fate worse than death.' The besieged whites are rescued, of course, by the
white-robed knights of the Ku Klux Klan, galloping through the night to
the accompanient of Wagner's RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES, in the orchestral
score designated for use with the silent film."
Mary Waller "Non-trad from hell" at the University of South
Dakota Vermillion, SD, USA
> >
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history over a good meal From: Gaye Ingram
<gingramsuddenlink.net> Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:54:50 -0500
X-Message-Number: 17
> Be sure to have some Sweet Tea to wash it all down. > Kay S 20
> From: Stephen Schreurs [mailto:schreurs_ssyahoo.com] 20 Gaye, thank
you for the compliment of your reply. I suspect that our respective points
of view might be more close than we expect! Probably something to explore
over a good meal.....or several! Let's see...corn bread, with and without
sugar, Boston baked beans, something creole, something with curry, ---
Dear Kay and Sue and all,
Oh, all good roads lead to food.
I feel the need to share one of the best food experiences I've had in a
lon g time. My sister and I recently spent a day on the back roads around
Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, and other points in the bayou country of
Southwest LA. We went in search of a nursery that sells old garden roses.
Having foun d our roses, we antiqued and had a lovely lunch in downtown
Breaux Bridge, which, I believe, is the Crawfish Capital of the World.
This was what I ordered and oh my goodness, it was so good I can't
describe it fairly: a slice of Mexican cornbread over which had been
draped the best-tasting, creamiest crawfish etoufE9e imaginable---divine.
A fresh garde n salad that really was made from vegetables fresh from a
local garden, with just a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Followed
by a just-right silky sliver of cold, tart Lemon Icebox Pie and a steaming
cup of Community Dark Roast Coffee.20
Plain iced tea with the meal, for me. I would have ordered wine, but my
sister was buying and she's a teetotaler, and I saw no reason to incur her
opprobrium on such a nice day. Otherwise, incurring her opprobrium is not
a problem. And actually iced tea turned out to be just right.
The Mexican cornbread-etoufE9e and lemon icebox pie idea is a jewel
that I intend to use in entertaining. Spicy, but not too spicy. Textures
coarse (stoneground cornmeal, plus the bell peppers and onions) and
velvety. Hot and cold. Would be just as good as supper on a chilly night
in winter, from crawfish frozen in season. I guess you could substitute
shrimp, but it just wouldn't be the same. Easyeasy and food of the gods.
Anyone who desires to have good pure Louisiana coffee can go to the
Community Coffee website. Virtuous Louisiana children grow up drinking
dark roast Community Coffee. No chicory, though probably naughty South
Louisiana children drink chicory-added coffee, also put out by Community.
When that red packages arrives, lean against a kitchen counter to open
it. Be prepared. Close your eyes and let the aroma fill your being. Beats
yoga and deep breathing-cleansing exercises. In time, when you can manage
it, yo u can pull yourself together and drip the coffee. Then, you will
have another beatific experience. I have often thought that if a
Louisianan were dying prematurely, a friend or kinswoman might hold a
freshly opened bag of Community Dark Roast coffee beneath his nose, like
smelling salts, and that person would almost certainly recover and live
out his allotted days in grateful, peaceful joy.
Which is what I wish for list members, Gaye
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history over a good meal From: JLHfwaol.com
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:14:01 EDT X-Message-Number: 18
Dear Gaye, I agree that Community Coffee is the best and in fact just
brought home a freshly gound bag of 1/2 French Roast and 1/2 Hazelnut, our
family
favorite mix. Dark roast is the best for my winter tastes. Your dining
experience has me green with envy and my mouth watering. Next time I
indulge in pie it will be lemon ice box. How could I have forgotten it.
Yesterday I had lunch at Swiss Pastry Shop in Fort Worth and ordered
chocolate meringe for
dessert. Unbelievable, they were sold out. I had to settle for
delicious coconut instead. Lemon next time. Janet in steamy Fort Worth
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: KKK Quilt From: LAHudlowaol.com Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007
17:17:37 EDT X-Message-Number: 19
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charset"US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I have to tell you all a funny story. I live near Sharpsburg, MD and a
few years back the Klan had a rally there.......but I am not sure they can
call it a rally. The bus pulled up and about 15 men got out and not even
robed and Oh there were a few skinheads scattered around the town but
there was more church folks, police and even SWAT team on house tops then
the KKK people.......so I am not sure they can mark this down as a
successful Klan rally......chalk one up for the right side.
Just thought you would like to know......
Lori Hudlow
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: xenia cord <xenialegacyquilts.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:50:50 -0400 X-Message-Number: 20
I've been sidetracked in a computer crash, but am belatedly getting in
on the KKK thread. I don't want to muddy the waters any, but I can confirm
that in Indiana during the 1920s, that organization was cloaked in
respectability of sorts, as members were also in positions
of trust on school boards, in local politics, in hospital
administrations, in industry, in social service agencies and the like.
They were seen as promoting America First, against immigrants
and especially those who owed allegiance to the Pope, and were
prohibitionists as well.
I live in Kokomo, site of one of the largest Klan rallies in the
state's history. At a location that is now a YMCA day camp and outdoor
experiences area, 35,000 people gathered to see high muckety-
muck D.C. Stevenson arrive by helicopter to address the gathering - and
this when the population of the entire county was probably not over
20,000.
Lots of folks hereabouts had white robes in closets, either put away
as having outlived their usefulness, or hidden in shame, or just
abandoned and forgotten. My only question about a KKK quilt would be
what identifies it as such - the fabric, the inscription, an
illustration? And if the fabric, what "marks" it as having come
from
a robe?
Xenia
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: MargaretFaheyaol.com Date: Sun,
12 Aug 2007 14:28:05 EDT X-Message-Number: 21
I have been told of when my father lived in Michigan as a boy. The Klan
became active and their target was Catholics. My grandmother, who died the
month I was born, was an English teacher and she fired off a series of
letters to the local newspaper attacking the premises of the Klan's
beliefs. The family suffered verbal and physical abuse as a result for a
time. It all ended when the Klan leader ran off with the pastor's wife and
the church's kitty.
I was in Allegan MI recently and went searching for evidence of my
forebears. The local newspaper had some past issues on microfilm, but had
had a fire and not many past issues remained. So I was not able to read
about this. I'm not sure if it was in the lansing newspaper or not.
When I was in Spain visiting for 6 months or so one year, we attended
an Easter eve parade and some kind of celebration. They carried a replica
of Jesus on the cross and were followed by a troop, of what to me,
appeared to be KKK. (I was shocked and disturbed. My friends had no idea
why I was reacting that way.) About 30 of them. They were throwing candy
to the crowds lining the street. I never did find out what that was about.
And I wondered if the very hat/hood and robes were somehow connected
historically. Are there other groups who wear such "uniforms".
Does anyone know what the men in the parade represent?
Another aspect of this "celebration" was fireworks. They went
off immediately over our heads in the village square. Very scary but
everyone screamed and seemed to enjoy ducking about to avoid being set on
fire. Huh? This bit of fun was preceded by a burning of sculptures of
folks indulging in various sins. Quite graphic and gross. Guess it was a
purge. The sculptures were huge, much higher than the heads of us.
Appeared that local folks had constructed them. I wonder if they gave a
prize for the worst sin depiction. I was so pleased to be amid the local
customs even though my Catalan language skills lacked learning any meaning
of these activities. All this occurred in very small towns
Margaret
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: qhl digest: August 11, 2007 From: LinusDonnaaol.com Date:
Sun, 12 Aug 2007 10:35:24 EDT X-Message-Number: 22
Re the Ku Klux Klan quilt- About 10 years ago, I visited an exhibit of
textiles at a museum in Richmond VA. One particularly interesting piece
was an alphabet quilt that had items signifying each letter (i.e. an apple
for A).
This type of quilt is often made as a learning tool to teach children
their letters and corresponding sounds.
You guessed it.
It's bedtime and mommy says "K is for KKK." K was a hood.
Bright blessings!
Donna Laing Bucks County PA
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: RAGLADYaol.com Date: Sun, 12 Aug
2007 22:47:57 EDT X-Message-Number: 23
Possibily from the times of the Spanish Inquisition?.... See the
picture and description of Sambenito http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambenito
Gloria ragladyaol.com MargaretFaheyaol.com writes: And I wondered if
the very hat/hood and robes were somehow connected historically. Are there
other groups who wear such "uniforms". Does anyone know what the
men in the parade represent?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: KKK From: Linda Laird <clproductsgmail.com> Date: Sun,
12 Aug 2007 19:42:18 -0700 X-Message-Number: 24
Dear Ladies, There is certainly a serious difference between the KKK
and the Masons and Gays. The KKK goes around burning crosses on peoples
lawns and shooting and hanging whomever they choose. They kill. And did it
until very recently. Go to your library and delve into reconstruction
history. There are some great PBS documentaries. Watch American
Experience: Reconstruction: The Second Civil War. Read Brotherhoods of
Color: Black Railroad Workers and the Struggle for Equality by Eric
Arnesen, read the wikipedia article on the KKK, read Carry Me Home :
Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution
by Diane McWhorter. For a more modern perspective of the still sort of
active organization read The Klan by Patsy Sims. Read about Emmitt Till.
The murder of the civil rights workers in the 60s.
In the midwest community I just moved from, Hutchinson KS, the KKK was
so active in the 20s that there is a photo of a huge band of probably
70 men & women on the stage at Convention Hall with their
instruments. Another photo of them marching down Main Street in a parade
in full regalia. My mother-in-law remembers going to klan gatherings just
out
of Hutchinson with her father during that period. William Allen White
used his newspaper "The Emporia Gazette" heroically to
ridicule the group. Again, they were not just a social group, they killed
people all over the country, not just in the south.
My husband remembers that in the small town where they lived in the
50s-60s the sheriff stopped all colored people and clearly told them to
get out of town before dark. In the past 15 year the Kansas State Fair
(Hutchinson) has been leafleted by the KKK which is rumored to still have
the largest cell in Kansas.
I remember reading an 1880s news story from Colorado where a negro was
taken outside of town and burned alive.
Consider joining the NAACP to get a feel for black issues through their
excellent periodical. Go to http://www.naacp.org/splashjena.html for a
real eye opener and continue on so that you can join.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has a wonderful set of teaching tools
that are free to all schools. Perhaps you will want to work to be sure
they are available at your school.
Linda Laird
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK From: "Shari Spires" <skspiresbellsouth.net>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:38:38 -0400 X-Message-Number: 25
Ladies, Just one more contribution to the KKK subject and then I will
happily lay this topic to rest The KKK is very much alive throughout
the country and often absorbed into other organizations. For instance,
many of the confederate reinactment groups have a KKK core. We have one
person in our town, a lawyer named Kirk Lyons who routinely represents KKK
members and other white extremists. His sister and her husband, a
chiropractor, moved here also a few years ago. We know the chiropractor
and his family somewhat as my husband runs a woodcarving group and he is a
member. His family belongs to a church with a very closed society. They
all home school their children. Next year his daughter is having a coming
out debut in this confederate society.
In addition, a few years back we lived in the far west of NC and
frequently found in our mail box soft cover books filled with hate for
Jews, blacks and Catholics. We could not discover where this stuff was
coming from and happened to mention the book once in a restaurant and the
waitress told us it came from the Klan. She took it all matter of factly.
This was the area where that abortion clinic bomber Rudolph lived. We
soon moved away only to find more of them where we live now in this very
liberal, learned and artsy little community. For the most part, they live
life
undercover. Once in a while Lyons appears at a town meeting and is
usually greeted with jeers and boos which he ignores.
Shari in NC >
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK and sociology perspective From: Stephen Schreurs <schreurs_ssyahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:46:00 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 26
We were talking earlier in this thread about how emotional it is to
discuss these things. Fraught with dread and shame. My point of query had
nothing to do with which organizations did good and which did bad. It had
to do with concepts of a group CLEARLY representing a minority or
politically disadvantaged group and trying to achieve justice through
visibility and organization (NAACP, SNAPP)- as opposed to a group, already
dominant (such as caucasian race in this country), which formed with the
purpose of trying to maintain cultural dominance at the expense of others.
It was on that point I raised my question, and had it satisfactorily
clarified. (Thanks, Gaye.)
I don't think anyone I know or talk with has trouble discerning between
Masons and KKK. But behavior - the patterns of banding together in clubs
or associations are so similar. Anthropology, sociology...humans are
socially embedded beings, and they get together. They have meetings, they
raise money, they make memorials and awards, they have jobs, they belong
to churches. Social networks form. Some choose or discover organizations
which ultimately are responsible for deliberate, malicious bigotry. Some
choose better organizations. But the getting together, choosing leaders,
organizing activities - varies less. That's why the quilts have been of
interest, I think. There were people involved in heinous crimes who ALSO
participated in the mundane and ordinary of life - such as making quilts
which reflected association. Mary Worrall et al presented the KKK
fundraising quilt. One made from robes has presumably surfaced, with
questions trailing like uncut threads. Who? Why? Where?
These thoughts also prompted the sardonic remarks about the continuing
need to relearn lessons of the past. We all have to do it some, if we are
honest. Who said, "life isn't one thing after an other. It's the same
damn thing, over and over!" Or has that been quoted already?
Good night, ladies. Time to start a week! Susan
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Atlanta Underground From: Edwaquiltaol.com Date: Mon, 13 Aug
2007 00:29:21 EDT X-Message-Number: 1
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charset"US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
In walking around the museum which looked more like a gift shop with
quilts hanging around the walls, I saw no quilts that I could directly
relate to the stories and none I would judge to be quilts of the period we
would assume significant. the focal point with chairs in front of it was a
sampler quilt with all the blocks described in the story. This was used as
a visual to tell the story of each block and its part. The block and story
that I chucked (inwardly over) when I heard its explanation was the Sun
Bonnet Sue block. The meaning of this block was to warn those fleeing to
put on bonnets to look more like regular folk.
Holice
I have to admit tho that the lecture I did hear on African Heritage was
good with its emphasis on passing on our various cultures to our children.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK quilt and history over a good meal From: "Candace
Perry" <candaceschwenkfelder.com> Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007
09:10:47 -0400 X-Message-Number: 3
Gaye -- thank you -- and I am very serious -- for giving me a word
of the day. If I've come across "opprobrium" I can't
recall, and it is a fantastic word. I have to let my 14 year old
know. He is the only 14 year old I know who uses the word "peckish."
Candace Perry
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Swastika Quilt info From: Mary Anne R
<sewmuch63yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:17:38 -0700 (PDT)
X-Message-Number: 4
--- Judy Anne <anne_jworldnet.att.net> wrote: http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern_history/swquilt.htm
I seriously considered purchasing a quilt top very similar to the
second example (blue-and-white) on the webpage cited. The each segment of
the swastika blocks is made up of two flying geese (8 total). I thought I
could take them apart and make strips out of the geese. But then I
realized I don't have time to make/finish everything I have now so I
didn't pursue it.
Mary Anne
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: KKK From: "Candace Perry" <candaceschwenkfelder.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:27:49 -0400 X-Message-Number: 5
Just wanted to comment quickly on this...Don't equate Confederate
organizations that memorialize what their ancestors did with racist stuff.
It simply isn't true, and it's a vast generalization. Descendants of
Confederate soldiers who fought and died for their nation should be able
to freely honor these brave men, as any of us honor veterans. It is
abhorrent that some idiots have turned the battle flag into an odious
symbol. I don't think that's what was being said here but I did want to
make that distinction. Candace Perry
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Indiana KKK Quilt From: "Mary Persyn" <Mary.Persynvalpo.edu>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:45:18 -0500 X-Message-Number: 6
Returning to the original question of who might be interested in
receiving the KKK quilt in Indiana, I have two suggestions. Already
mentioned was the Indiana Historical Society. I don't know if they
collection textiles, but it would be a possibility.
My other suggestion is the Indiana State Museum which does
collect textiles. At least they own part of the Pottinger collection
of Indiana Amish Quilts.
There are still Klans (Kovens?) in Indiana, and Indiana was a hotbed
of the Klan in the 1920s. There is a classic murder case that is
studied by first year law students, Stephenson v. State, which
involved the kidnapping , rape and murder of a young woman by an official
of the KKK in Indiana. I think it took place in 1929. 20
My Mother told me that the Klan burned a cross against the front door
of her all girl's Catholic high school in South Bend, and my Dad had
a story about the Klan trying to march against Notre Dame. Taking on
a bunch of young strong college students didn't get them very far,
according to my Dad who told the story with some relish.
Mary
whose employer is installing a new email system and who hopes that
this message comes through in some legible format.
Mary G. Persyn Associate Dean for Library Services School of Law
Valparaiso University 656 S. Greenwich St. Valparaiso, IN 46383 (219)
465-7830 FAX (219) 465-7917 mary.persynvalpo.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Indiana KKK Quilt From: RAGLADYaol.com Date: Mon, 13 Aug
2007 11:00:19 EDT X-Message-Number: 7
A very sad and disgusting story. http://www.audiocasefiles.com/cases/detail/case/8730/
One wonders if the vile and bestial nature of the man caused him to
seek out the KKK or if belonging to the KKK brought forth that nature.
More likely a combination of the two, I would think.
Gloria ragladyaol.com Mary.Persynvalpo.edu writes: There is a classic
murder case that is studied by first year law students, Stephenson v.
State, which involved the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young woman by
an official of the KKK in Indiana. I think it took place in 1929.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Sanitary Commission Soldiers quilts From: Donald Beld <donbeldpacbell.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:03:33 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 8
A couple of weeks ago, when I asked for referral advice for an estate
appraisal on a new Sanitary Commission soldiers quilt; Sue Reich was kind
enough to write in about the book s she and several other authors did
documenting the Conn. quilts called QUILTS AND QUILKMAKERS COVERING
CONNECTICUT; saying that there were two Sanitary Commission quilts on page
77.
First, let me say that it is a great book--thanks Sue for bringing it
to my attention.
However, neither of the two quilts shown are Sanitary Commision
SOLDIERS quilts.
Two types of quilts were collected by the Sanitary Commission during
the Civil War--those intended to be sent to the troops for their use and
that usually measured approximately 48 by 84 inches (not a normal quilt
size, as quilters would know); and Sanitary Fair quilts used to raise
funds for the war cause--much like our Raffle quilts today.
The two quilts in Sue' book probably are that type of quilt---both
extraordinary quilts in their own right. I know of only two other Sanitary
Fair quilts (or duplicates). One is in the St. Louis Historical Society
collection and is a Sanitary Fair quilt given to W.T. Sherman and the
other is a duplicate made by the same maker of the quilt given to Pres.
Lincoln at the Washington, D.C., Sanitary Fair and is in the collection of
the DAR museum. The Sanitary Fair quilts were frequently made of silk
and/or were more elaborate than the soldiers quilts.
So, the count for soldiers quilts that I know of stands at seven out of
the 250,000 to 400,000 quilts donated for the Union soldiers use during
the Civil War.
Both the Sanitary Fair and the Sanitary Comm. Soldiers quilts are
unique, national treasures that document this important time for quilters
and for our nation.
If any of you know of others, please let us know. Best, Don
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Subject: KKK Quilt From: "Jan Masenthin" <quiltsrmesbcglobal.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:37:36 -0500 X-Message-Number: 9
WOW -- what a topic. I was going to simply lurk, as most of my thoughts
were well articulated by others, but here I am. Although I endorse the
study of history, I do not believe it accomplishes the goal of preventing
bad things from being repeated. I live in Topeka, Kansas, a town cursed
with the presence of the Phelps family, who picket daily with their
gay-bashing and anti-American posters. Their current theme is that 9/11
and the war in Iraq are God's way of punishing us because He hates America
due to our tolerance of gays . They fly the American flag upside down, and
picket the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. They send faxes to
families of those who died from AIDS or were killed in Iraq, stating their
loved ones will burn in hell. One of their picket signs says, "Thank
God for 9-11." So far they haven't killed anybody, but they certainly
have hurt a lot of people. My point is that hatred is, and always will be,
alive and well on this planet. Memorializing it, whether on a quilt, a
document, or a website, will not make it go away. As for the KKK quilt, I
suppose it should reside in a museum, but I would be offended if I ever
saw it displayed with other quilts. Jan
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Subject: The Light in August From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:52:37 -0500 X-Message-Number: 10
Wm. Faulkner saw in the strange light that bathes the South in August a
setting for a novel in which the heat and the dislocation of the month
drive people to and beyond their civilized limits.
Reviewing the posts from this past weekend, I thought of that.
I also realized that the KKK quilt discussion elicited interesting,
quilt and material history-related contributions from a number of members
whose voices are not always heard on qhl. I consider this a good thing.
I myself became more concretely aware of the anti-Catholic activities
of the KKK in the Midwest. List postings explained something that has
always puzzled me a little--the large and active presence of the KKK in
states like Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Obviously the New Immigration
fueled that and similar nativist endeavors. I knew about all this
theoretically, knew the fabulously popular nativist minister Gerald L.K.
Smith had been born in Wisconsin, but the description of KKK family
picnics and family recollections of members on this list made my abstract
knowledge concrete and more meaningful. It tied things together for me.
A child's alphabet quilt illustrating the letter "k" with a
hooded "k" and Ku Klux Klan was certainly something of which I
had been unaware, and that information too deepened my understanding of
the commonplace nature of this organization at a certain time. I want to
see that quilt, and I suggested to the list member that she research it
for a possible article in BLANKET STATEMENTS.
I hope the discussion alerts members to the presence and significance
of such quilts. I went back and read the UNCOVERINGS article on the KKK
quilt. It and the weekend discussion made me believe there are many more
of these quilts remaining. I hope they are located and collected in public
repositories.
Another thing that impressed me this morning as I read over the
postings was the civilized manner that characterized the disagreements and
misunderstandings, how members would step in to clarify or elaborate
aspects of others' entries and would advance the discussion with relevant
new information.
And amidst the learning came the laughter. I'm still laughing at
Margaret Fahey's description of her Lenten experience in a Spanish
village, where she was struck dumb by what looked to her like 30 Kluxers
following the crucifix through the town. Could have been out of Mark
Twain. When MF wrote, "And I wondered if the very hat/hood and robes
were somehow connected historically. Are there other groups who wear such
'uniforms?'" Gloria replied, "Possibly the Spanish
Inquisition?" And suddenly, I saw Margaret in a Monty Python film.
Remember the Spanish Inquisition in MP's Arthurian "Monty Python and
the Holy Grail"?
It IS August---oppressively hot, an ill-defined month (somehow not
summer, but not fall either), steamy and filled with the sounds of
crickets and locusts and tree frogs. An eerie month. This discussion could
have been unpleasant, but it was informative instead. Newer voices mingled
with the seasoned voices of folks like Laurel Horton and Mary Cross, two
of our most generous scholars. I hope to see some submissions to BLANKET
STATEMENTS come out of it.
My word-of-the-day site reminds recipients of Arlo Guthrie's wonderful
"Alice's Restaurant" (the music) and even shows the church where
Alice had her restaurant, now owned by Guthrie. The site describes the
song as a "bitter attack" on the Vietnam War. Just listen to it
and see if you hear bitterness. I don't think so. It is, in fact, the lack
of bitterness that makes it effective as a "protest" song. It is
satire at its best. Once you've laughed at something, you've lessened its
power over you. A good point to remember. Wish you had a film of that
procession, Miz Fahey!
I personally am grateful to all who contributed positively to the
discussion. I learned from it.
Gaye Ingram
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Subject: Re: The Light in August From: Mitzioakesaol.com Date: Mon, 13
Aug 2007 16:07:30 EDT X-Message-Number: 11
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This newest qhl discussion has been most interesting. Not being all
that familiar with the KKK, but coming from a family of men in the Masons
(all way up in degrees or something) which has always been mysterious to
me as I was not ever allowed to go into my Grandfathers den where all the
secret things were (!?). But most surprising to me is when I discovered
that Vermont had a branch of the KKK - little old Vermont who outlawed
slavery before any other state even thought about it, who to this day is
the 'whitest' state in the Union (tho that is changing dramatically in its
cities). The Vermont Historical Society has a large display of KKK
materials in its location next to the State House in Montpelier. Well, at
least no one yet has tied in the KKK with the UGRR and the Quilt Myth!!!
(Have they?) Mitzi from beautiful Vermont where apple picking has
started..........
************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
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Subject: Re: One More Tuck From: jocelynmdelphiforums.com Date: Mon, 13
Aug 2007 20:36:27 +0000 X-Message-Number: 12
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Gaye, Dare I say this on the list? But Victorians were obsessive about
having children tucked in tightly wit h their arms atop the covers, lest
the little darlings engage in any inde cent activities during the
night.... There were actually harnesses sold to tie the child's arms into
place abo ve the covers, if the method of tucking the covers in so tightly
that the child couldn't wiggle his or her arms in under the covers. Which
may exp lain why quilts were made shorter than they are in these days,
when we wa nt quilts that don't stop at the armpit, but go all the way up
to the chi n. :)
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Subject: Re: use of felt/palampore From: jocelynmdelphiforums.com Date:
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:39:02 +0000 X-Message-Number: 13
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I've seen pictures dating to the early 20th century, showing athletes
wit h team letters on their sweaters. However, I just checked the only
such p icture I have at hand, dated 1899, and none of the athletes are
wearing f elt letters. However, they look to be wearing 'civvies' rather
than team uniforms.
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Subject: Re: Klu Klux Klan Quilt From: jocelynmdelphiforums.com Date:
Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:42:23 +0000 X-Message-Number: 14
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> >How does he know they are KKK robes? >Sorry if this is a
stupid question. Stephanie, Later Klan robes had the emblem of the KKK
embroidered on the chest. They were actually cut and sewn as robes, and
weren't just old sheets tossed on over regular clothing, as they
probably were in the 'early days'.
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Subject: Re: old silk threads and old ribbon From:
jocelynmdelphiforums.com Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:45:28 +0000
X-Message-Number: 15
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>Barb -- ribbon and thread need to be tested and examined because
you >have no idea how and where they have been stored.
Amen! I once used some old braid on a costume. It was black in the
center with narrow borders of silver. The first time I washed the costume,
I pu lled it out of the washer to find that there were only two narrow
stripes of silver still attached...and it was covered in little tiny bits
of bla ck thread! :) The really irritating part was that then I had to cut
the s ilver strips off. If only they'd had the decency to disintegrate,
too! :)
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Subject: The League of the South From: Gaye Ingram <gingramsuddenlink.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:05:39 -0500 X-Message-Number: 16
Candace wisely warned us, "Don't equate Confederate organizations
that memorialize what their ancestors did with racist stuff. It simply
isn't true, and it's a vast generalization. Descenda | 
