Todd Hunter Strand
Museum Artifacts, 1979
Photograph
Donated by the Artist
The first KKK group in North Dakota was founded in Grand Forks by F. Halsey Ambrose. According to Prairie Public, he published a violent attack on the Nonpartisan League called A Sermon on Applied Socialism. With the backing of the Grand Forks Herald, it sold more than 5,000 copies. He could draw crowds of over 1,200 people to his sermons and single-handedly tripled his church’s membership.
So why the heck would I want to write about people like this?
My answer is: why not?
Why not write about the ugly parts of history and acknowledge that they existed? A lot of people think that everything above the Mason-Dixon Line was smiles, rainbows, and ice cream sundaes, but that is far from true. The North had its own issues with racism not only toward African Americans, but also toward Native people and even Catholics.
When I first saw this image, it felt like we were staring at each other. The only thing I could think was: how could someone be so prideful in their hatred? How could someone feel so justified in violence and hate?
Then it became a sort of staring contest, because I knew that this person would probably hate everything about who I am.
I think it is good that we’ve come so far as a society.
But it still is not perfect.
The Midwest, for all its beauty, is still deeply affected by racism. You can still walk down the street and be called the N-word. You can still be followed around stores. You can still experience all of it.
Not long ago, the killing of George Floyd forced many white Americans to witness a reality that Black Americans have experienced for generations. Racism toward Black Americans is still alive and well. It is easy to ignore when you do not experience it every day — until suddenly you are forced to see it.
And it is not only the obvious things. It is also the microaggressions that are everywhere: people assuming I must be stronger because I am Black, or joking that I must “love watermelon.” Small comments like those add up.
So why am I writing about this?
To make people notice.
To maybe make people reflect on their own behavior. And please do not take this as an attack, but everyone has probably learned or picked up something racist at some point, even unintentionally — even Black people.
So in the end, do not ignore the little things. Speak up. Pay attention. Because silence allows these attitudes to survive and we can do better than that.