"After 134 years of nothing but violence and hatred, it's time we get to know one another on a social basis, not under a cover of darkness." — DARYLL DAVIS MLK Day speaker Rocks, splintered bottles and debris were hurled in the direction of 10-year-old Daryl Davis while he carried the American flag for his Scout troop at a parade in Boston.

This marked the future Grammy-winning pianist's introduction into the dark world that divided America along racial lines. At 15, he was jeered at and told by another hate group he would be shipped back to Africa.

The son of a foreign service officer, Davis had never seen this type of hatred when he was a small child in Europe and Africa. These experiences led the black musician on a journey to learn more about the Ku Klux Klan.

"After 134 years of nothing but violence and hatred, it's time we get to know one another on a social basis, not under a cover of darkness," Davis said in his biography.

Davis is the featured speaker for a Jan. 19 program that Limestone College will hold to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The free event will be held at 11 a.m. in Fullerton Auditorium. The public is invited to attend.

Davis will perform on the piano at the end of his Limestone College program. He made his name as a musician performing with the likes of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters while pursuing his own civic agenda to break down cultural barriers.

In his biography, Davis said he was driven by the need to understand how people could hate someone without ever meeting them just because of their skin color. Davis wrote the book "Klan Destine" about his efforts to explore the roots of racism in the Deep South.

Davis set out to meet Roger Kelly, Imperial Wizard of the Invincible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Their emotional first encounter ended with Kelly agreeing to have a picture taken with Davis, as long as "we don't have to stand with our arms around each other."

Davis later brought Kelly to meet a black woman who had a cross burned on her lawn. Davis sought out a self-proclaimed white supremacist and was later defended in court by a Ku Klux Klan member.

Today, Davis is a author and public speaker who works to promote harmony between different races. He comes to Limestone College through the same booking agency that brought Holocaust survivor Theodore "Zev" Weiss to Gaffney High School last month.

"Daryl Davis is a fascinating speaker," Limestone College Chaplain and Limestone Street United Methodist Church Pastor Rev. Ron Singleton said. "We hope everyone will decide to be a part of our celebration of Martin Luther King Day as we work to promote the importance of diversity in our community."