the portrayal these societies of violence and ignorance as benevolent and peaceful pillars of community makes me wonder how far we have yet to go in this or any other country, and how easy will it be for the republicans to stir up dormant racist sentiment if obama becomes the democratic nominee.

Amazingly, I'm more amused and saddened by this than bothered. This poor woman is obviously bonkers, but let's be honest, this is the last of a dying breed.

I'm not saying racism and insanity will ever go away, but portraying it "straight up" like this is a better way of doing it than feeding the hate. Kudos to MotherJones for a great, if very weird, essay.

I was also amazed, amused and saddened by this; instead of bothered. I grew up in the segregated South and sat on my front porch waiting nightly for the KKK to drive by and fire bomb my parents house. Except we were tipped off and were waiting. My family is Caucasian, yep all white. We've been in this country since the 1600's and probably longer than any of these "save America for the whites" bunch.
I also found it interesting that this nice lady was terrified that she would lose government assistance for her child. I do regret her unfortunate circumstances with her child, but the KKK is also one of those groups that espouses "no governmental interference in our lives". So as a learned man in Tuscaloosa, AL once said, "If you want to pull your self up by the bootstraps and don't want the government's help; the next time you need the government funded fire department, put it out yourself".

Why are you wasting time and space on freaks like her?

I am very interested in the "dark side" of quiltmaking. I'd be interested in hearing if she was also a quiltmaker and if she made quilts in support of Klan activities or with fabrics leftover from her robe-making activities. I and colleagues have done extensive research on one known quilt, made in 1926 in Michigan and now in the collection of Michigan State University Museum, that was signed by KKK supporters and used as a fundraiser. People tend to think of quiltmaking as a comforting, positive activity supporting causes for the common good but....

Funny, I live in a neighborhood with several mosques & I see the all-covering robes of the ultra-orthodox (?) Muslim women every day. Their burkas look a lot like Klan robes.

We gonna see a photoessay on burka manufacturing too?

@ Mike 0 and MoJo staff

I would very much like to see a photoessay on burka manufacturing. Do you have a camera? Or better still, a female photographer friend? If MoJo did it, I know it would be both informative and respectful. Great idea! Thanks, Mike!!

ANY press is good press! The KKK thanks you vociferously for "humanizing" them. Bigotry is alive and well in Amerika and stupidly supported by Mother Jones!

Thank you for posting these photos.
We need to preserve this indigenous culture as a key part of our diversity as a nation.
Tolerance and understanding is a virtue.

I found this article just by chance. I'm a black man, 42 years old born, raised and living in Dallas. And in this season of Change I'm loving this article. The point that we are all human is the place to start in making us better. Thank you Mother Jones.

This is addressed to Mike O: I have never seen anyone wear a true Burkha, except in Afghanistan. The difference is, wearing a Klan robe is done to incite fear in others. Wearing modest clothing has a MUCH more pure purpose. I know you prefer to see low-cut blouses and mini skirts, but Muslim women CHOOSE to cover up their bodies to keep eyes off. An intelligent woman's dream is to be valued for who she is rather than being in a beauty contest with the winner being who can show off the most flesh.

Hold on - 'intrigued by' .... 'get involved in'...'cross-lighting ceremony'...this guy sounds more than vaguely pro-Klan. WTF MJ?

P.D - aren't you also "intrigued by"? You took the time to view and comment on the story didn't you?

The photographer would have to be scared after shooting this essay. I think he remains objective, and does what he needs to do in order to get the story. He HAS to seem like he is neutral in order to gain trust, and for that he is a great photojournalist. I'm sure that these people are nice to each other but what are they really doing "right" for the world outside the community? I work with ignorant people all day, but I don't hate them for it. I mostly feel sorry for them that they are unable to feel equal love for all living things, and the best thing that anyone can do is help them see the way.

Dear Smokin72,

Your family must be pretty great to illicit targeting by that sick bunch. Why did they want to firebomb your parents house? Thank you.

Pappajiones,
Surely you jest!
The point behind this exposay
was to expose the life style of the kkk. The ordinaryness of it is not comforting to me!
The child dressed in her robe at the end is extremely disturbing. No one in their right mind wants to preserve this culture of hate and genocide. The kkk is an organization bent on the annihilation of evryone who is not of indigenous european ancestry. Preserving this longstanding club of hate is not an option. More and constant illumination and exposure is needed to actually wash these monsters away with fewer and fewer members each generation. By the way, these people are not "indigenous" to the americas, the Native americans are. All persons with whit skin are indigenous to europe and closely surrounding areas only. Actually we are all from the continent of Africa and all persons with white skin will die of skin cancer by the age of thirty if left unprotected and naked befor the equatorial sun. Dark skin is caused by a protien called melanin that absorbs and deflects the sun's photoins from the body, thereby protecting the those with the ability to produce alot of melanin from cell damage from the sun. In fact, there is malanin in the skin of people indigeos european ancestry (Native Europeans?) just not very much, it is the reason that we tan. The reason that "Native Europeans evolved to produce less melanin is still a bit of a mystery, but the current thinking is that the light skin may facilitate the formation of vitamin D in the body. The suns rays are necessary for this. Europe has a very short day in winter and is often cloudy, therefore Native Europeans developed rickets as a result of dark skin and died off earlier, the second idea is that a mutation in the "founding group" caused light skin and it was sexually selected for. Same with bule eyes. These are some of the ideas being researched by eveolutionay biologists. The kkk is to ignorant to research and love. They know only hate and destruction. Dangerouse and not to be preserved.

an example of something not quite right is my spelling above, an example of something truly dangerous is the kkk and other groups who espouse hate. You would correct my spellg, yes? The kkk must be educated out of existence.

To Diane O. The KKK wear robes in order to hide thier identity because they are doing shameful and illegal acts against the innocent. Muslum women (all women!) should not need to be ashamed of thier appearance in order to be seen as intelligent human beings worthy of respect.

Human beings tend to put a positive spin on negative traditions and organizations b/c it keeps us from hating ourselves. Case in point, the good old U.S. of A. that we all love and live/die for is the product of greed, hate, and genocide. The vast majority of the people who called this land home for thousands of years have been killed off to less than 5% of our total population. Should we really honor that heritage? This country was built on slave labor, both in the north and south. Industrialization to the Gilded Age, to our current exploitation of immigrant labor, this nation continues to ruin lives. Drug wars, proxy wars, Iraqi wars...My point is this, let the southern culture keep its heritage and let the rest of us educate them, and allow them to put their own positive spin on the Confederacy, KKK, whatever. Show these people tolerance, and help them find a way to make the evils of the past become a source of communal good in our collective future. I also can't help but point out the irony of progressive, hand made Klan-wear, originating not from a Chinese sweat-shop, but an American's home. If we all cared about the child of our textile makers as much as these people do, imagine what that would do for the world, hypocrites. By the way, I don't condone any current teachings of hate or intolerance, I'm just trying to be fair.

Growing up in America, I've seen a few Klan rallies and known a few Klanners, although my personal politics are extremely left-wing. Like Ms. Ruth, most Klan people are committed to their cause, and willing to sacrifice time, money and effort for their fellow Klansfolk. This kind of willingness to join-in and attempt to live authentically is something I've sadly rarely seen on the Left. We spend too much time "settling" for middle-of-the-road solutions. Just look at what the supposedly Democrat controlled Congress has done (or not done) while Bush II continues to commit crimes against this country. Liberal poster-boy Chuck Schumer actually lobbied to get Mukasey installed.

We on the Left need to talk less and fight more. We need fire-breathing, uncompromising Progressive evangelists to be on the front lines, yelling into megaphones promoting peace, environmental awareness, and economic prosperity for all. And we all need to be Ms. Ruths: metaphorically "making robes" for the people out front, selflessly supporting a radical Left effort.