LAW MOVES IN

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After the reactivation rally in 1966, Reverend William Fowler found every effort to assemble and gain support for the Ku Klux Klan undercut and undermined. His rallies would be canceled, permits revoked and police would be watching his movements. The Klan’s resurgence would have vocal opponents in this new era of Civil Rights activism, including law enforcement, civic leaders and protestors. In 1960s Southern California, the ominous visage of the earlier era Klan was more regularly met with ridicule and lower public opinion, lessening their influence and power.

KLAN REBIRTH

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After lying dormant for years in smaller social clubs, the Ku Klux Klan reemerged in 1966. Reverend William Fowler of La Crescenta (the self-appointed "State Chairman of the California Committee Called the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan") established the new Klavern.

A controversial “cross-burning” rally was held in Soledad Canyon (35 miles north of Glendale) on September 17, 1966 to celebrate the rebirth of the KKK in Southern California and to gain support. Although the rally had its supporters, it had many more who stood in opposition.

RALLYING HATE

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The Ku Klux Klan was active in Glendale in the early 1920s. By 1924, the Klavern, or local KKK chapter, was able to substantially increase their recruitment and organize mass spectacles to initiate newcomers and intimidate people of color, immigrants and religious minorities.

George Goshorn of the Glendale Daily-News would look back at this period and describe the fervor one such event inspired in the community:

“The mystic ‘Invisible Empire’ of the Ku Klux Klan extended its dominion over Glendale. High point of the reign was an initiation ceremony lasting two days and nights. Robed and hooded Knights paraded in force, followed by an awed throng of the uninitiated numbering in the thousands.”

A SOLEMN SUMMONS

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The California Ku Klux Klan was officially chartered in 1926. Through the next decade, they continued to gain supporters by widely distributing Klan literature, holding large outdoor ceremonies and conducting secretive formal meetings. By the end of the 1930s new hate groups began to emerge in the area, and although the Klan’s presence could still be felt, their growth slowed, and by 1946 their official status as a non-profit organization would be challenged.

BUILDING THE KLAN

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Not only did the Ku Klux Klan advocate for “pure Americanism,” they posited themselves as nonviolent, declaring the vigilantism of the original Klan had been replaced through governmental action. The KKK’s recruitment from the middle class, Protestant ministers, local business owners, women, and other fraternal organizations was successful—their membership increased substantially from thousands to millions, and they gained political clout. With this visibility and mainstream acceptance of the Klan in Glendale, they were able to meet casually in public spaces. The KKK was so socially acceptable that they were allowed to hold a formal event on the property of Leslie Coombs Brand, often known as “the father of Glendale,” in September 1924.

THE KLAN ARRIVES

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In 1921, rumor circulated in Glendale that the Ku Klux Klan would be holding ceremonies and sending applications to recruit members. The new Klavern attempted to distance themselves from the original Klan of the 19th century, which could have deterred membership and prevented the group from gaining the wider social and political influence they sought. The KKK of the 1920s claimed to be upstanding citizens, a fraternity, worthy of popular approval, and in line with Glendale’s suburban values.

FIERY CROSS

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Cross burnings originated as a Scottish practice during battle to signal, warn, or gather clanspeople. Cross burnings were not part of the original Ku Klux Klan’s rituals. Thomas Dixon described the practice as a rallying call in his 1905 novel The Clansman: Romance of the Ku Klux Klan glorifying the KKK’s years following the Civil War and their mission to save white Southern civilization from newly-freed and enfranchised Black people. The novel led to the film adaptation Birth of a Nation in 1915 that inspired the second incarnation of the KKK. The new KKK adopted cross burning at their initial gathering in Georgia to renew faith in their cause, and thereafter to show their presence and power and to terrorize African Americans.

HATE SPEECH

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Ku Klux Klan leader Reverend William Fowler held a “Gigantic Cross Burning” rebirth rally on the evening of Saturday, September 17, 1966 in the Soledad Canyon area of Los Angeles County. The event was covered by a journalist working for local radio station KPFK and featured his commentary along with two speakers, Fowler and Reverend Thomas Warren, and the racist, white supremacist music of Johnny Rebel, whose songs primarily targeted Black people.

This 45 minute historical recording may be upsetting to listeners as it contains ethnic and religious slurs and offensive hate speech promoting racial stereotypes and violence.

KU KLUX KLAN IN GLENDALE

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Race restrictive covenants (see Episode 1: All-American City") expressly prevented people of color from owning or occupying property in Glendale. The pervasive racist attitudes that kept Glendale white, also attracted and emboldened white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.

The KKK rose to power after the United States Civil War in response to the end of slavery, but declined after the Reconstruction era. In 1915, the Klan was reestablished by William Joseph Simmons in Atlanta, Georgia, and spread throughout the United States by expanding its platform of hate beyond African Americans to include immigrants, Catholics, and Jews.

In 1921, the Klan arrived in Glendale and began recruiting new members in California. By 1926, they operated under charter.

Prospective members were asked a series of questions to determine their suitability for membership, such as:

Were your parents born in the United States of America?

Do you believe in White Supremacy?

Do you believe in the principles of a PURE Americanism?

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We invite you to enter the portal and discover the history of KKK in Glendale. Click on any of the icons in the interactive image or use the menu bar along the bottom to see photos and articles selected from Glendale Library, Arts & Culture’s History Room and other archival sources. 

This section of the exhibition focuses on hate groups which engaged in racist violence in Glendale; the content and historical imagery may be upsetting to some viewers. 

There are absences in the Library’s collection due to implicit and explicit bias against people of color, which has created an incomplete history of our community. This is true of the vast majority of archival collections in the US. We urge you to use this exhibition as a starting point for your own exploration of racial inequality in Glendale and the United States. 

The image used in this episode is taken at Glendale Community College, the site of a massive KKK rally in 1924.