Stetson Kennedy loved Southern and African-American folklore from childhood. When he turned 21, he got a job working for the Works Progress Administration. He headed the Florida Writers’ Project. It collected folklore and oral histories of African-Americans. After WWII, he became interested in civil rights. Since he was unable to fight in WWII, he decided to do his patriot duty by fighting against segregationists. He hooked up with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. He joined the KKK as John Perkins, an encyclopedia salesman. Once the Klan trusted him, he became one of their hit men. In 1954, he co-wrote I Rode with the KKK with another Klan informant. The book was sensational and the Superman radio serial was inspired to pit the Man of Steel against the Klan for several episodes. Excerpts from the book were read on the radio. These radio programs trivialized Klan initiations and rituals resulting in loss of prestige for the organization. The Klan was so upset it offered a $1,000 per pound reward to anyone who killed him. Since then the authenticity of Kennedy’s story has been called into question. He has been accused of using other men’s stories. Some question whether he was ever in the Klan. It seems likely he did coopt other peoples’ stories, but that he did infiltrate the Klan and does deserve credit for reducing its appeal.
– Amazing 287-289
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