A young African-American musician seemed an unlikely candidate to take on the Ku Klux Klan - but Daryl Davis used honesty, respect and human understanding to break down and dissolve the bitter, time-worn barriers that he encountered. Daryl Davis is an American R&B and blues musician, author, actor and bandleader, known for his energetic style of Boogie-woogie piano. Davis has played with such musicians as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Bruce Hornsby, and Bill Clinton. His efforts to improve race relations, in which as an African-American he engaged with members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), have been reported on by media such as CNN and the Washington Post. Davis summed up his advice as: "Establish dialogue. When two enemies are talking, they're not fighting.
 
Daryl  received rave reviews for his stage roles in William Saroyan’s The Time Of Your Life with a famed cast of Marcia Gay Harden, Brigid Cleary, Richard Bauer, Dion Anderson, and Henry Strozier. Daviwas a key player in Elvis Mania which was extended by twmonths due to popular demand in New York City at an off-Broadway theatre. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx