Klan Youth Corps

Klan Youth Corps

Klan Youth Corps is a 1980 CBS News documentary segment (later distributed by Carousel Films, Inc.) that investigates the Ku Klux Klan’s efforts to recruit and indoctrinate children into white supremacy.

Overview and Focus

• Target Audience & Age: The segment focuses on the Klan Youth Corps, a division targeting children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 (often the sons and daughters of active Klansmen).
• Location: Much of the reporting centers around Alabama (including areas like Tuscumbia) in the heart of the Klan’s southern network.
• Indoctrination: The program documents how young members were taught white supremacist ideology, racial separation, hostility toward Black people, Jewish people, communists, and other groups, and how they participated in camp activities or rallies.

Key Figures and Voices

• Bill Wilkinson: The Imperial Wizard of the Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, who is featured in interviews pitching the Youth Corps as a white supremacist alternative to groups like the Boy Scouts and openly discussing recruitment and transition plans.
• Arnett Lewis: A southern civil rights leader who provides counter-commentary in the documentary, characterizing the Klan’s youth outreach as a system built on terror and brutality.
• Local Community Perspectives: The documentary also features local residents discussing the fear, intimidation, and racial hostility the Klan generated.