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A Ku Klux Klan leader told The Atlantic Wire that one racist Virginia mom and her 7-year-old son's Halloween costume has ruined the Klan's reputation. "There's no respect for the Klan," said Bradley Jenkins, the Imperial Wizard of the United Klans of America — a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated active hate group.
For Halloween this year, Jessica Black (who is white) dressed her 7-year-old son Jacob in full KKK regalia for trick-or-treating, a costume choice which grabbed national attention as an example of horribly racist costumes Americans donned this year. She cited "family tradition" for her decision, telling the local ABC affiliate, "My brother has [worn it] when he was in kindergarten and when he was 13." She added that she supports the KKK's views on racial segregation. "It's supposed to be white with white, black with black, man with woman and all of that. That's what the KKK stands for," she said.
Jenkins believes that the Blacks crossed a line. "People look at the United Klan as a hate organization. … We don't hate anyone. Hate is such a strong word," he says. "The Klan has seven sacred symbols and the robe is one of them. I don't know where she's getting that from. None of this is a joke," he told The Atlantic Wire. Especially since, he points out, you have to be 18 years old to join the Klan.