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When the Klan came to Blacksburg
CENTERPIECE
When the Klan came to Blacksburg
A KKK rally in Blacksburg in 1991 served as a reminder of Virginia Tech's complicated history with white supremacy.
Matt Jones, editor in chief 16 hrs ago (0) 10 min to read
The streets of Blacksburg were relatively quiet for most of the day on Jan. 20, 1991 — the day before the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The only people downtown at first were a handful of reporters and a number of state and local police officers.
By 1:15 p.m., uniformed police officers deployed along already-barricaded major roads downtown. Over 250 officers from different agencies were present, including a SWAT team, K-9 units and plainclothes officers. A helicopter hovered overhead.
In a few hours, 500 people filled the otherwise quiet streets for an event unlike any Blacksburg had seen since the late 1920s. At about 1:30 p.m., a Collegiate Times reporter watched about 35 state police officers walk to the parking lot of the Blacksburg Municipal Building.
A few minutes later, eight cars pulled into the parking lot, led by a white van flying the Confederate battle flag on top. The letters “KKK” had been painted on the side doors. ... The Ku Klux Klan was coming to Blacksburg.
When the Klan came to Blacksburg
A KKK rally in Blacksburg in 1991 served as a reminder of Virginia Tech's complicated history with white supremacy.
Matt Jones, editor in chief 16 hrs ago (0) 10 min to read
The streets of Blacksburg were relatively quiet for most of the day on Jan. 20, 1991 — the day before the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The only people downtown at first were a handful of reporters and a number of state and local police officers.
By 1:15 p.m., uniformed police officers deployed along already-barricaded major roads downtown. Over 250 officers from different agencies were present, including a SWAT team, K-9 units and plainclothes officers. A helicopter hovered overhead.
In a few hours, 500 people filled the otherwise quiet streets for an event unlike any Blacksburg had seen since the late 1920s. At about 1:30 p.m., a Collegiate Times reporter watched about 35 state police officers walk to the parking lot of the Blacksburg Municipal Building.
A few minutes later, eight cars pulled into the parking lot, led by a white van flying the Confederate battle flag on top. The letters “KKK” had been painted on the side doors. ... The Ku Klux Klan was coming to Blacksburg.
