FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show ‘Women Of The Democrat Party’ In KKK Robes?
An image shared on Facebook showed a group of women in Ku Klux Klan (KKK) attire, with one woman holding a sign that allegedly said “Women of the Democrat Party.”
“You gotta love history,” the text over the image reads.
Verdict: False
The sign in this image has been altered. The original sign makes no reference to political party and instead says “Lancaster County.”
Fact Check:
This post attempts to criticize the Democratic Party by associating it with the hate group, and while the party historically had ties to the Klan, particularly in the Deep South, the sign being held has been digitally altered.
In the original photo, found on Getty Images, the sign says “Lancaster County.” However, it reads “Women of the Democrat Party” in the image on Facebook, even though the official party name is the Democratic Party. All the other aspects of the image, including the shadow featured on the lower left and the individuals in the upper right background, are the same as the original.
The photo shows female members of the KKK from Pennsylvania who came to Washington, D.C., likely for a march. The photo was taken in the 1920s, at a time when many women had organized women’s chapters of the KKK, known as the WKKK.
According to sociologist Kathleen Blee, “From 1923 to 1930, women poured into the Klan movement to oppose immigration, racial equality, Jewish-owned businesses, parochial schools, and ‘moral decay.'” (RELATED: When Did Black People Get The Right To Vote?)
