Photography
Hardcover, 12.25 x 8.25 inches, 128 pages, 134 duotone images
ISBN: 978-1-57687-490-5
$39.95
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The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan
Photographs by: Anthony S. Karen
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“We believe in our race—in the fellowship of our race and the preservation of our race. We are the only people today that are actually participating in the preservation of the white race around the world. If we don’t condemn the threats against our race, it will no longer exist…That’s basically why we feel the way we do. We also believe that no race will live up to it’s potential if it’s mixed with another race, it only dilutes as it does with any situation in the world”.
-Dale Fox, Imperial Wizard of the Brotherhood of the Klans
Established in 1866, the Ku Klux Klan still remains one of America’s most secretive organizations. New York photojournalist Anthony Karen first transcended that secrecy several years ago when he got the opportunity to photograph a KKK cross-lighting ceremony; since then, he has been documenting Klan organizations throughout the country. Those photographs are compiled to form an absorbing document of one of the most notorious groups in history in The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan.
Taken with unrestricted access, Karen’s images bring us deep inside America’s most private white nationalist organizations. Beginning with a brief introduction into the history of the Klan, the book provides detailed visual accounts of modern-day Klan life, including candid shots of rallies, individual portraits of Klansmen and women, as well as a look at the naturalization process for new members. Presented in intimate profiles are a functioning Klan ministry, a group that has merged National Socialism with Klan ideologies, and a 58-year-old seamstress who makes custom Klan robes, among others. Accompanied by quotations from the late Dale Fox, Imperial Wizard of The Brotherhood of the Klans, The Invisible Empire offers an unprecedented glimpse into the shadowy society and its mysterious inner workings.
Anthony Karen is a photojournalist based in New York. His passion for photography began in Haiti, where he documented the various Vodou rituals and pilgrimages throughout the country before embarking on the Ku Klux Klan project. Karen served in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked for many years in the personal protection industry. He has traveled extensively worldwide and has worked with many humanitarian groups, including the Humane Society of the United States. He currently freelances for World Picture News.
The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan
Cheerful cookouts, traditional Ku Klux Klan weddings and family picnics— these are pictures of social normalcy most Americans would never associate with one of the most reviled white supremacist groups commonly known as the Ku Klux Klan. In The Invisible Empire, photographer Anthony S. Karen was granted extremely rare access by the KKK and has documented from within the exclusive seclusion of Ku Klux Klan gatherings and the personal ceremonies of its members. An impartial photojournalist, with no membership or ongoing ties to the Klan, Karen became an integrated observer spending four years amongst Skinheads and Grand Wizards. Karen sat down with powerHouse Books to discuss his surprisingly humane documentation of this infamous organization that is best known for its inhumane acts of prejudice.
powerHouse Books: How did your relationship with the KKK begin? Explain how you got your "in" with such an exclusive group.
Anthony S. Karen: It was a long process, involving countless emails and random phone calls to numbers found on websites. I put in at least a year of unsuccessful attempts when I finally decided to call it quits. Six months later I gave it another go and a group said I could come, but I could only photograph the cross lighting ceremony. Several months later, I contacted another group and emailed them some of my images. I told them I wasn't interested in the rhetoric, I only wanted to learn about an organization with traditional Klan beliefs.
I'm a former Marine and so was my contact, we hit it off and I was welcomed to his next event. After meeting me, I was invited into his home. He was the leader of a very large group and I was soon documenting all of his events. After my first visit, I found myself without restrictions. Klan members from other organizations tend to frequent other groups events, so I also had the opportunity to meet a lot of people and became a familiar face. With those contacts under my belt, I branched off into other groups and they soon realized I wasn't look to sensationalize anything and my reputation for being honest and sincere became well known.
pHB: As a photojournalist, what interests you about the KKK?
AK: That's a multi level answer; I was initially engrossed with a Vodou project in Haiti when I realized that financially I needed to find something closer to home. I was trying to come up with something different, something that wasn't played out. The Klan has a shroud of secrecy around them and although I've seen countless images on the organization, I've never seen a complete body of work from one photographer.
The essays I've viewed in reference to the Klan were always about the cross lighting or robes, but I was interested in the people and the lives behind the hood. I'm the type of person that likes to see and experience things with my own eyes - it's difficult for me to believe everything I read about these days, so with all that combined with my passion of being in places that are risqué, the Klan was an obvious choice. It's a timeless and powerful subject and it still brings out as much controversy as it did in the late 1800's. I'm not the type to take things for face value, so I knew this would be a great long-term project.
pHB: Did you find it difficult to remain impartial and objective as a photojournalist? Can you describe any moments or stories where you found yourself personally affected?
AK: Of course we all have our opinions, but as a photographer, being able to have complete access into someone's life turns some sort of switch inside. A true journalist is able to check his opinion at the door. If you do have an opinion, your images will reflect that and you'll only be adding to the sensationalist attitude of trying to sell a magazine. I go into my projects with a clear head and I truly want to know about people, so I treat each person as an individual. Yes, I've had a few moments, but not like one would think.
One of my most difficult moments was when I did my first interview and said that a lady that I documented was a great lady - she's a seamstress and she makes robes for the Klan. Instantly, I had a fair amount of negative feedback by people that had nothing better to do than troll the blogs and say mean things. I don't have to hold the same beliefs as someone else to like them, but having a few people judge me was a little much at the time. Like I said, that was my first interview and I had no idea what to expect. I'm affected in some sense when I'm documenting a Klan demonstration and hear the counter protesters screaming profanities or even the more aggressive act of throwing light bulbs or soda cans which happened several times before; to make matter worse, they have their children with them, children are on both sides of the protest. How do you call someone a stupid hick and say they are violent and then commit to trying to hurt them? I can't understand how people fight racism with hatred, hate is hate and it has no boundaries.
pHB: How would you describe the official purpose of the group in today's society?
AK: Basically, I'd compare it to a fraternal organization with a twist. Most Klan groups hold unity cookouts a few times a year, like a family get-together. Other groups are more active, they'll hold frequent protests for various causes, such as bringing prayer back into school or they might demonstrate a community with a large population of illegal immigrants or a violent crime that received little attention from the mainstream media outlets. Over the course of the past few years, I see their main platform geared towards illegal immigration and the absence of religion in today's society. Surprisingly most of the racial issues are focused on the "Jewish banking" system or governmental manipulation, rather then blacks or color of the skin type things you'd typically assume. I find that the biggest black issue concerns the mixing of race, and that's any race. They say that "God didn't intend to mix a donkey with a zebra, it only dilutes the breed."
pHB: Does the KKK have any legitimate affect on local community matters, or policy as a lobby group? Does it improve the lives of it's members in anyway?
AK: I did see them protest an illegal immigration situation in a small town a few years back. Of course with the attention that arose from the media and the chaos that it brought into the area itself, the governing board had no choice but to start cracking down. I also know of several groups that make anonymous gift basket donations to the troops over in Iraq. David Duke was very active in politics for a while, I couldn't really comment on anything else, because I honestly never even paid attention.
pHB: How dangerous is the Klan today, compared to their activities last century?
AK: The Klan as a group is not dangerous per se; it's more about an individual with a certain frame of mind. The Klan as an entity has a strict policy against violence. It may not make sense when you see a mock noose or a racial tee shirt on somebody, but I've only seen one fight and it lasted for a few seconds at a Skinhead concert. The Klan tends to be more religious based on the whole. Yes, some groups are more militant than others, but realize that anybody can form a group and name it the Klan, there is no major unity, so if in fact you do hear of someone doing something illegal, it's 9 out of 10 times a splinter group. These groups are constantly under the FBI radar and they even file for permits when they hold a cross lighting, so compared to the past, I think it's like anything else... you'll always find one trouble maker in a bunch.
pHB: Describe the average Klan member.
AK: There is no average, but I'd say most are indistinguishable from the crowd. They come from all walks of life. I do find that most of them are knowledgeable in regards to the Bible and the Constitution, they hold great pride in being an American and many have served in the armed forces. Some hate, but some just prefer racial separation. I even know of one group with two open lesbian members.
pHB: How does the Klan approach recruiting new members?
AK: Many new recruits will approach them at rallies, protests or even on the Internet. Some groups have flyer handouts or recruitment drives, but most is through friends or the Internet.
pHB: Is the relevance of the KKK strengthened or weakened by the election of Barack Obama?
AK: It's increased and strengthened in my opinion.
pHB: Describe the most surprising moment you experienced while documenting the Klan.
AK: Nothing really comes to mind as far as the Klan goes, but I had one head scratcher while documenting Skinheads - I had a young man in the car with me and were driving to a rally site, I came up to a stop sign as this voluptuous black woman walks past us, the guy goes "that's a hot ass." I verbalized my heartfelt approval and was waiting for the backlash, wondering if I failed some sort of test or something. Then he mentions to me that he's always wanted to go visit Haiti and if I'd consider letting him come with me one day.
I'm also sometimes taken back by how much I've been allowed to actually document. I consider it a true gift for the trust and respect I've received. This might not make sense to some, but try to understand what it's like to have someone around you for hours at a time with a camera. Compound that with having a controversial ideology and the possibility of having images in the public eye that could not only affect you, but your family and job. This holds true with any photographic project, but try and comprehend the magnitude of this and how it may apply to this project in particular. Everyone's always saying they hide behind a mask, well I've documented every major group for the most part and I've only had a handful that was camera shy.
pHB: Describe the most shocking moment you experienced while documenting the Klan.
AK: I try to live my life with as many shocking moments as possible, so it's difficult to take myself outside of my norm to say I've experienced major.
Other than that, I'd have to repeat what I've said previously - the way people that profess to be so hate free and righteous, that fight racism with even more hatred. How do you wish a person or their children dead for their beliefs or anybody for that matter?
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