Ron Stallworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Stallworth
|
|
|---|---|
Stallworth in 2019
|
|
| Born | June 18, 1953 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Police career | |
| Department | Colorado Springs Police |
| Years of service | 1972–1980 |
| Rank | Detective |
| Police career | |
| Department | Utah Public Safety |
| Years of service | 1980–2005 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
Ron Stallworth was born on June 18, 1953. He is an American retired police officer. In the late 1970s, he secretly joined the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department.
His amazing story was made into a movie in 2018 called BlacKkKlansman. In the film, actor John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Colorado
Ron Stallworth was born in Chicago, Illinois. When he was young, his mother moved their family to El Paso, Texas. He said this move was the best choice his mother ever made. It helped him avoid a difficult neighborhood.
Ron graduated from Austin High School in 1971. He was a popular student and was part of the student council.
In 1972, Ron's family moved to Colorado Springs. Here, he became interested in working in law enforcement. He joined the police department as a cadet in November 1972. He was the first Black cadet in the Colorado Springs Police Department. A cadet is like a trainee who learns how to be a police officer.
Becoming an Undercover Officer
Ron Stallworth knew early on that he wanted to work as an undercover police officer. This means he would pretend to be someone else to gather information. His first undercover job was when a speaker named Kwame Ture visited Colorado Springs. Ron was asked to secretly observe the speech. He was excited to do it. After this, he joined the intelligence section of his department. This section collects information to prevent crimes.
Secretly Joining the KKK
In 1978, Ron Stallworth saw an advertisement in a local newspaper. It was from the Ku Klux Klan, looking for new members. The KKK is a hate group that believes in white supremacy. Ron decided to respond to the ad by mail. He gave them an address and phone number.
A KKK member called Ron. Ron pretended to be a white man who hated Black people, Jewish people, and other groups. During the call, he learned that the person starting the new KKK group was a soldier at Fort Carson.
Ron's plan worked very well. For the next nine months, he continued to pretend to be a KKK member. He usually talked to other members on the phone. When face-to-face meetings were needed, a white officer went in Ron's place.
Ron even called David Duke, who was the leader, or Grand Wizard, of the KKK at the time. Ron asked about his membership application. David Duke apologized for the delay. He promised to make sure Ron's application was processed. Soon after, Ron received his KKK membership certificate in the mail. It had David Duke's signature on it. Ron framed the certificate and kept it in his office for many years.
After Retirement and the Movie
After the investigation into the KKK ended, Ron Stallworth kept his role a secret. He did not tell anyone about it. He later moved to the Utah Department of Public Safety. He worked there as an investigator for almost 20 years. He retired in 2005.
After retiring, he went back to school. He earned a college degree in criminal justice in 2007.
In 2006, Ron Stallworth shared his story in an interview. He explained how he secretly joined and investigated the KKK. He also revealed that his investigation found several KKK members were active in the U.S. Armed Forces. Two of these members worked at NORAD. NORAD is a very important command center that protects North America from air attacks. The two members at NORAD were moved to faraway places like the North Pole or Greenland.
In 2014, Ron Stallworth wrote a book about his experience. It was called Black Klansman. He used his own notes from the investigation to write the book. A producer named Shaun Redick decided to make a movie based on the book.
Spike Lee became the director and a co-producer of the film. Jordan Peele also helped produce it. The movie was released on August 10, 2018. John David Washington played Ron Stallworth. Other actors included Adam Driver, Topher Grace, and Harry Belafonte. The movie, BlacKkKlansman, won a big award at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for six Academy Awards, winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
See also
In Spanish: Ron Stallworth para niños
