An anonymous threat from an individual possibly affiliated with the KKK led to a wrestling promoter excluding African-American wrestlers from a June 23 show in Denton, North Carolina.
“Do not bring no blacks into Denton. You have been warned,” the message read, according to the unnamed promoter. The message was signed “The White Knights.”
“I was told that I couldn’t go because they didn’t want any black athletes,” said James Brody, a wrestler from the nearby town of Hudson, in an interview with WCNC 36 (a local station in Charlotte). Other wrestlers scheduled to perform were angered by the news.
“Why are we even here trying to put on a show for these people if we can’t have other brothers of other races and nationalities and everything,” asked local wrestler Chris Rogers, who was also scheduled for the event. “I made a promise to myself I wouldn’t come back.
In a survey of Denton’s population of 1,636, only two identified themselves as African American. Per Google Maps, Denton is about an hour and a half outside of Charlotte, the state’s largest metropolitan area and home of the legendary Ric Flair, as well as about two hours away from the State capital of Raleigh.
“I was pretty angry at first,” added Brody. “But, you know, I prayed about it and thought about it and I thought, they don’t want me there, that’s their loss, not mine.”
Mark Potok, who helps monitor white supremacist organizations with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that while ”The White Knights” is a common name for offshoots of the KKK and like-minded groups, they were unaware of any group operating in North Carolina operating under that name.
“I think it’s a terrible mistake to cave in to these kinds of apparent threats,” said Potok.
PHOTO CREDIT – WCNC
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