Common Ground
We dwell on our differences--Emphasize the our disagreements
To downplay our similarities;
Common ground is quicksand,
Muddied with bitter truths
The fear of sameness
you struggle to escape
and the harder you fight
the deeper you fall...
At the bottom of the pit,
Beneath the sinking sand
Where common ground gives way
Grass grows green and healthy
solid ground breeding solidarity
and the fighting ends
there is no more falling.
Daryl Davis: The Craziest Man Alive
Daryl Davis is a musician, specifically a pianist, who plays in the style of Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Music isn't what he's famous for, though. In 1983, while playing a gig, Davis was approached by a KKK member who was shocked at Davis' playing skills. The two struck up an unlikely friendship, bonding over music which led to Davis making friendship with other klansmen. These friendship challenged the misconception the klansmen had about blacks and caused them to rethink their views, eventually prompting them to leave the KKK. Davis is credited with dismantling the Maryland KKK [1]. Davis wrote a book entitled Klan-destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan about his experiences. I haven't read the book yet, but it's definitely on my list of book to be read.References
[1] Black Musician Befriends the KKK[2] KKK Member Walks Up to a Black Musician in a Bar, But It's Not a Joke...
[3] Darryl Davis
