Media Credit: Emily Hughes / NT Daily Former Ku Klux Klan leader Johnny Lee Clary speaks to Syl Flores' diversity in human services class about anti-racism Thursday in the General Academic Building. [Click to enlarge]

When Johnny Lee Clary was imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, he never guessed he would one day devote his life to spreading a message of tolerance.

His latest engagement took place Thursday afternoon in General Academics Building, room 104, with more than 150 students in attendance.

Clary grew up with a family in an Oklahoma community that condoned racism, and he was taught to hate from an early age. He told the audience about the first time he saw a black person: "That's a nigger," his dad told him.

"You have to understand hatred," Clary said. "Hatred is a learned response. You're not born with it. Someone has to teach you hate."

At age of 11, in 1971, Clary found himself dispossessed from his family and living in Los Angeles. By the age of 14, he began "giving up on life" but found refuge and a sense of family in the KKK.

"There's always misguided individuals out there looking for something to hold on to," he said.

For the next 16 years of his life, Clary devoted all his time and resources to the KKK. In 1980, he became grand dragon of the KKK's Oklahoma chapter. By 1989, after gaining notoriety through his wrestling career and appearing on talk shows such as Oprah, Clary became imperial wizard of the KKK, the highest position in the organization.

"I used fear to recruit other people into the Klan," Clary said. "That's what all these white power and black power groups do today. They use fear."

Within a year after becoming imperial wizard, he became disillusioned with his way of life and quit the KKK, largely due to a black preacher named Wade Watts, who stubbornly responded with love and tolerance to Clary's hate.

"I had never taken the time to sit down and get to know a black person," Clary said.

His vivid description of his transformation incited many laughs and even a few teary eyes from the crowd.

Burlyce Logan, 68-year-old Denton freshman, is going back to school decades after becoming one of the first black students at NT in 1966. He remembers a time when the KKK had an open presence in Denton.

"I remember crosses being burned here in Denton," she said. "It was like deja vu to listen to what [Clary] talked about- I admire him. I think he's trying to make a difference."

Wayne Newsome, Dallas senior who is also black, doubted some aspects of Clary's talk but is still proud of him.

"From listening to him, it kind of opened my mind a little bit," he said.

In addition telling his life story and pointing out the tactics racist groups use, Clary walked the audience through an article he wrote for his Web site, http://www.xkkk.org, exposing members of the National Socialist Movement for hypocrisy, violent crimes and drug crimes.

"I didn't come here today just to talk," Clary said. "I came here today with some solutions to fighting racism."

He wants anti-racists to unite and create networks, contact local and national politicians, educate themselves and others, be willing to talk about difficult issues and "teach love" to young people, not hate.

"If you don't do something, who is going to?" Clary said. "You can ignore it, or you can decide to do something about it."

Clary now speaks full-time, traveling internationally to share his personal experiences. He has gathered a small group of former racists, known as Operation Colorblind, that he hopes will begin speaking publicly as well.

His next stop will be in Austin on Saturday. He will join counter-demonstrators against the KKK, who will be marching in support of the same-sex marriage amendment, Proposition 2.

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