In August of 1999, the Ku Klux Klan announced a rally in Corydon, Indiana. Instead of opposing the visit, a group of citizens met to develop a plan to unite the community in a spirit of peaceful conflict resolution.

      Using the Southern Poverty Law Center's Ten Ways to Fight Hate (see Links page), the group wrote up a resolution, circulated it in the area, and collected nearly 2,700 signatures. The resolution with its signatures was published in the local weekly newspaper, the Corydon Democrat.

      Community Unity assembled and distributed plaid "Diversity" ribbons to be worn to show support for the resolution. "Robert the Bruce" tartan was chosen because it included the colors white, black, yellow, red, and green (for nature) in a woven pattern, showing the connectedness of all people with each other and with life itself. The group cooperated with law enforcement guidelines, discouraged direct confrontation, and made plans to protect vulnerable individuals and locations during and after the rally.

      When the rally was over, the group met again and voted to stay together to work toward further promoting unity in the county.

      Students in Orville Powell's "Delivering Urban Services" class at Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) used Community Unity's experiences to develop a booklet of guidelines for officials in other towns who are faced with a similar situation. The Ku Klux Klan in Corydon, Indiana: A Case Study can be downloaded in PDF format if you CLICK HERE