1978. Geraldo Rivera for Eyewitness News looks into the resurgence of the KKK, like it was in the bad old days of the south. This segment begins with Klan members marching the same route as Martin Luther King Jr’s historic march 13 years earlier in 1965. We see archival footage and hear from Corretta King, who remembers her husband MLK’s march and the reasons for it.
The segment continues into Mississippi where we hear about the KKK coming to Tupelo. We see clips of ‘Grand Dragons’ making speeches and other activities. Footage is shown of the KKK marching directly into a black neighborhood and the United League waiting there, as well as their supporters. Governor of Mississippi Cliff Finch is asked if the Kl Klux Klan is a growing phenomenon in the state.
This clip is interspersed with archival footage of the KKK as well as rallies and cross burning in 1978.
As of 2016, estimated membership of the KKK was between 3-6,000. In the early 1900s membership was estimated in the millions.