Daryl Davis, 67, started trying to talk white supremacists out of hating people like him when he was 10.

In his 2024 book, “The Klan Whisperer,” Davis, an R&B and blues pianist and guitarist, describes his encounters with Klan members and other racists during the past five decades. Over the years, more than 200 white supremacists have left their hate groups after meeting with him, according to Davis, who is Black and lives in Maryland.

As a young man, he played with a country and bluegrass band at the Silver Dollar Lounge in Frederick. Many of the patrons were “rough country types,” and “racial violence could erupt if Black men were present,” Davis wrote in his book. “Over time, I was accepted by the white patrons who didn’t perceive me as threatening. I became well-liked mostly because I was a musician.”

Eventually, Davis became friendly with a man named Hank, a Klansman who frequented the Silver Dollar. Every six weeks, Hank would show up with fellow Klansmen and Klanswomen to watch him perform.

“I would meet some of the Klan members on my break, while others did not want to meet me but would enjoy watching me and dancing to my music,” Davis wrote.

In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, Davis said the United States is at a crossroads regarding race relations. The conversation  has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you start doing your anti-racism work, what you call your pro-human work?

I was born in Chicago; my parents were from Virginia, and my father worked in the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service. So I grew up as a U.S. embassy kid, traveling around the world.

I attended a newly integrated school in Massachusetts in 1968. Several of my friends were in the Cub Scouts, and they invited me to join, and I did. We had a parade from Lexington to Concord to commemorate the ride of Paul Revere.

I was the only Black participant, and the streets were blocked off. The sidewalks were filled with white people walking, cheering, and having a good time. We reached a point in the parade route when suddenly I was getting pelted by rocks and bottles and soda pop cans, by a small group of spectators off to my right, on the sidewalk.

I looked over and saw a couple of kids and a couple of adults, who I assume were their parents. My scout leaders came running and covered me with their own bodies.

What did your parents say?

They asked me, ‘How did I get all scraped up?’ I told them exactly what had happened. For the first time in my life, my mother and father sat me down at age 10 and explained to me what racism was. When they were explaining it to me, I was incredulous; my 10-year-old brain could not process the idea that someone who had never seen me, spoken to me, or knew anything about me would want to hurt me for no other reason than the color of my skin. It just made no sense.

[That] was 1968, and Dr. [Martin Luther] King was assassinated, and every major city in this country burned to the ground. It was destruction and violence, all in the name of this new word I had learned. I formed this question in my mind: How can you hate me if you don’t even know me? For the next 57 years, I’ve been looking for the answer to that question.

What effect has the emergence of Donald Trump as a political figure and as president had on white hate groups?

Donald Trump did not invent racism. However, Donald Trump has given racists carte blanche to operate freely upon their ideology. Not everybody who voted for Donald Trump is a racist. But every racist voted for Donald Trump. And I would say that Donald Trump is the best thing that’s happened to this country. I don’t mean to say he’s a good person or that he’s done great things for the country. When I say he’s the best thing, he has brought racism to the forefront. Until him, people were trying to turn a blind eye to it. “Oh, we had a Black president, racism is over now.”

Because of Donald Trump, we can no longer turn a blind eye, because everywhere you look, it’s there. We can no longer ignore it. I see it as a wakeup call to this country if … wants to survive.”

How active are the KKK and other white supremacist groups in Maryland and the greater DMV area?

They are not very active in Maryland. Roger Kelly [the former Grand Dragon, or state leader, of the KKK in Maryland] had the largest Klan group in Maryland; he got out, and we became very good friends. He rethought his ideology based on a lot of things that I was telling him, and he left the Klan and shut it down. Then another fellow tried to pick up the mantle, and he got in some trouble and was quickly shut down in Sharpsburg. You have several chapters of the Klan in Virginia. I know those people. Delaware, there are a couple of chapters there.

Daryl Davis engages KKK members and has persuaded some to leave the organization and renounce their racist ideology. He is also a musician. His book, The Klan Whisperer, was published in 2024. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)

What do KKK members think of the Smithsonian Museum?

I took a KKK leader there around 2018 and showed him around. He thought it was fascinating. He thought it should have more Confederate history in it.

What types of jobs do people in white supremacist groups hold?

A Klansman, a Klanswoman, a white supremacist of any affiliation, whether neo-Nazi, Proud Boy, Patriot Front, whatever, is not stamped out of a standard cookie-cutter. They come from all walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds, and levels of education. They go from a third-grade dropout that you see on “Jerry Springer” or “Geraldo” throwing chairs on the stage, all the way to the president of the United States. President Warren G. Harding was sworn into the Ku Klux Klan in the green room of the White House. Harry Truman joined the Klan for a very short time. He got out and went on to become president. Hugo Black was in the Klan in Alabama when he got the Supreme Court appointment. Some work at the White House, some work pumping gas. Some are schoolteachers, people who work in grocery stores, or in a police department.

How do you get white supremacists to reconsider their beliefs?

Generally, I meet with them one-on-one, and I don’t like to say that I convert anybody. I will say that I am the impetus for them to convert themselves. You’ve heard the expression that one’s perception is one’s reality, and that’s so true. Whatever someone perceives becomes their reality. You cannot change someone’s reality. If you try to change it, you’ll get pushback. What you want to do is offer them a better perception or perceptions. And if one resonates with one of those perceptions, they will change their own reality.

Have a news tip? Contact Ruben Castaneda at 443-862-6133 or rucastaneda@baltsun.com.

By JESSICA DAMIANO

Gardening tools are evolving to incorporate technology — including artificial intelligence — to help us keep plants healthier, avoid unpleasant tasks and even grow crops indoors over winter. And we can use them without losing the stress-relieving, analog benefits that nature provides.

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Here are just a few examples:

Mowing

If you don’t enjoy mowing the lawn, you can buy a robot that will do it for you. Many self-guided mowers, like the Segway Navimow, Husqvarna Automower, the Sunseeker X7 and others, will handle the task on a schedule, run quietly, then return to a charging station without human intervention (beyond setup). And many can be controlled with a mobile app.

Some autonomous lawn mowers use AI technology to adapt to your grass’ growth. Sensors reroute them around pets, children, patio tables and garden decor.

Monitoring and caring for plants

Unsure about whether your plants need watering or are getting sufficient sunlight? There are apps for that.

This undated image provided by FloraSense, Inc. shows a Flora Pod smart plant monitor inserted into the soil of a potted plant and plant-care instructions displayed on the gadget’s accompanying mobile app. (FloraSense, Inc. via AP)

If you’re a busy type who could use watering, fertilizing, pruning and repotting reminders, apps like Planta or Plant Parent can help keep you on track. Provide info on an individual plant or create an inventory of all your green friends, and it will tailor a schedule for each, then notify you when it’s time to provide those maintenance tasks.

Physical monitoring devices can take things a step further. A gadget like FloraPod, for example, when plunged into soil — indoors or out — will send your phone real-time details about moisture levels, humidity, temperature and light exposure, plus care recommendations for thousands of plant species.

Hydroponics and beyond

So-called smart gardens are self-watering, self-fertilizing and self-lighting units that enable users to grow herbs and vegetables indoors year-round.

They’re available in a variety of sizes to accommodate a single plant or even dozens. Some, like Gardyn and AeroGarden, rely on soil-less hydroponic systems; others, like the Click & Grow system, use pods filled with traditional growing media.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

By Imelda García, The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS — Martina De la Guti learned all the recipes she now serves at her catering business, Santa Maria Artisan Kitchen, from her grandmother and her nanny.

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“My grandmother always said that the best moments were spent in the kitchen with good food,” said De la Guti. “From a young age, I grew up offering to help her cook, and they would have me make soup or salsa or help clean the beans.”

Originally from Mexico City, Del la Guti moved to Dallas in 2019 and opened a business focused on serving authentic Mexican food to people who missed home. She started out by providing a weekly menu of prepared meals — a service she still offers — and then evolved the business into corporate and event catering in Grapevine.

Every aspect of De La Guti’s relationship to food comes with a story, whether it’s a family recipe or the dishes she uses to serve it on. That includes mixiotes, one of the most traditional dishes in Mexico’s La Huasteca cuisine.

Mixiote comes served in a parcel of sorts, a piece of string that’s been dyed the sauce inside poking out. It’s similar to en papillote cooking in French cuisine, without the intricate folds and with a much longer history. When you open the parchment paper bundle, you find meat — chicken, pork, lamb or goat — in a red broth that concentrates the flavors of ancient spices that have been used for centuries. Vegetables, such as nopales or potatoes, also appear within from time to time.

When De la Guti was child, her grandmother would make mixiotes to thank doctors who helped save De la Guti’s grandfather.

“My grandfather’s name was Miguel, and September 28 is the religious feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel,” explained De la Guti. “Every year, my grandmother would gather the whole family to help her prepare that dinner.”

That tradition lasted for decades and was passed down to De La Guti’s mother.

“It wasn’t until she passed away that my family stopped doing it,” she said.

Mixiotes has a long history, and was eaten by the Aztecs more than 700 years ago.

“It come from La Huasteca,” said de la Guti. “They are called mixiotes because that is the name given to the maguey leaf, the cuticle of the maguey, which is used to make the mixiote.”

The leaf, which is a kind of agave, is what was historically used to wrap up the dish, where parchment paper is more common today. The process of harvesting the leaves starts by removing the maguey’s skin, a thin, translucent membrane. It is then left to dry, and when it is ready to be used, it is moistened so that it can be easily handled.

When it is time to prepare the dish, the maguey skin, or now parchment paper, is spread out. Pieces of meat are placed on top, covered in a sauce or marinade that has been prepared beforehand with several other ancient ingredients: guajillo chili, ancho chili, morita chili, onion, garlic, cloves, pepper, oregano, bay leaves, cumin, salt and pepper, according to De la Guti’s recipe.

A couple of avocado leaves are added for a sweet flavor and a slightly bitter touch. Potatoes or nopales can complement the dish, too.

The next step is to take the edges of the agave leaf or paper and bundle it to make a sack, which is then twisted and tied with cotton thread.

Then, it is steamed for about two hours. When it is ready, each little parcel can be served with rice or beans and some spicy preparation. It’s also common to eat it with tortillas.

“Mixiotes are widely consumed at weddings, special occasions, or celebrations,” said De la Guti. “On weekends, mixiote is widely consumed in tacos.”

Mixiotes are on the menu at Santa Maria Artisan Kitchen. If you would like to contact them, the catering business is located in Grapevine.

This story is part of D-FW Sabores , a series dedicated to finding authentic Mexican cuisine across North Texas, dish by dish, region by region.

©2025 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

On a recent Sunday, I stood in the kitchen with my brother Daniel, watching as he cracked the fifth and final egg into a bowl — the blue bowl, his favorite for making scrambled eggs. He reached for the fork to whisk them, humming, clicking his tongue and smiling widely.  At 49 years old, Daniel has enjoyed eggs for a while — ever since our time on a Wisconsin farm as kids, when we made frequent visits to our next-door neighbors, “Grandma” Jeanette and “Grandpa” Chester, dairy farmers who sent us home with a fresh dozen every week.

Our parents learned of my brother’s autism when he was 3 years old, and as he grew, our family watched Daniel become who he is: someone who adores the beach and the Beatles, thrives on being on-the-go, and, like the rest of his family, loves food.

Daniel poured the eggs into the skillet and reached for the spatula I handed him, scrambling the yellow of the yolks; singing the refrain from “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. After weeks of practice, I now let Daniel lead the charge on this recipe, but I stay close, concerned for his safety around the heat. It’s why we cook with an electric skillet as opposed to an open flame, the pan’s temperature dial and larger dimensions proving easier for Daniel to manage.

I am not alone in considering modifications in the kitchen — and beyond — for a loved one with a disability. In 1988, Congress passed the Assistive Technology Act, a law issuing federal funding to states to help increase access to assistive technology devices and services for individuals with disabilities.

Lynn Hess, a daytime support provider culinary instructor, helps Jesus M. with a glove at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

In 1989, the Illinois Assistive Technology Program began. Its mission is to provide individuals living with disabilities and health conditions greater access to assistive technology devices and services, enhancing their independence and participation in daily life. IATP is based in Springfield and serves people throughout Illinois.

“We realize that not everybody with a disability can make the drive to us, and so we come to them,” says Jessica Schuyler-Weir, director of training.  “We want to welcome anybody who wants to learn about how assistive technology can help them.”

The team works with individuals, their families and their caregivers to determine the best way, be it a site or home visit, for the individual to engage with IATP’s core programs. These include a Device Loan Library, a Demonstration Center (featuring demonstrations of thousands of devices), and a Reuse Program, offering gently used and new assistive technology devices and durable medical equipment to those who would otherwise be unable to afford them. If an individual has a need that a device doesn’t meet, they can speak with IATP’s Makers Program about custom fabrication.

“I am a person who was born with one hand, and now I am learning to play the guitar because of an IATP Makers creation — a prosthetic pick,” says Schuyler-Weir.

In recent years, IATP has launched additional initiatives, including its Tech Kitchen, a program dedicated to equipping individuals with assistive technology tools and training needed to develop culinary skills and confidence in the kitchen.

“People were often asking us about training programs to learn independent living skills in cooking,” says Schuyler-Weir. “We wanted to fill that void.”

Paola P., left, puts sprinkles on cookies as James G. dips the cookies in chocolate at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The IATP team welcomes individuals to their homestyle teaching kitchen in-person or virtually for demonstrations and to provide a tour of an accessible kitchen layout. The Tech Kitchen offers cooking classes to residents of Illinois aged 14 and up, with any disability, who currently receive services from one of the major bureaus of the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services. They also coordinate home visits, sending a chef-instructor and occupational therapists to clients.

“Our team works with the individual to determine their specific needs, available resources and how they can benefit from assistive technology,” says Schuyler-Weir. From there, the team employs a device loan system helping individuals acquire needed devices. Should that device no longer be needed, it can be recycled back to IATP’s Reuse Program.

During visits, Tech Kitchen staff work with individuals to develop a variety of functions in the kitchen, including recipe literacy, meal planning, and knife and stove safety, using tools ranging from air fryers and induction burners to plastic cutlery and smart technology. It all begins, Schuyler-Weir notes, with time spent with the individual, learning their skillsets and enthusiasms.

“We never start with what it is that an individual can’t do, but instead, with what they want to do — what they want to cook, and to eat — and what challenges are between them and these goals,” she says. “We ask ourselves, ‘How can we build up this individual and their experience in the kitchen?’”

Schuyler-Weir references one of their clients, whose mother was eager to see her son embrace his desire to cook, but who was concerned for his safety around stovetops.

“By the end of the day, he made quesadillas independently,” says Schuyler-Weir. “People who never thought they or their loved ones could cook in the kitchen are seeing the benefits of these tools — who knew all that an air fryer could do, or that you could bake bread in a microwave? There are so many options.”

While individuals can receive the fullest range of benefits of IATP’s Tech Kitchen only as a client of Illinois’ Division of Rehabilitation Services, Schuyler-Weir notes that the team works to find sustainable solutions for everyone, including resources on where to buy devices and how to access Tech Kitchen demonstration videos.

“We want to reach as many individuals as we can with this work because we know the impact it has on the lives of those who need it most.”

Jesus M. and Donna M. make balls of cookie dough with an ice cream scoop before putting them on a baking sheet at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
James G. dips cookies in chocolate at Gateway to Learning in Lincoln Square, Sept. 9, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

In addition to working directly with individuals and their caregivers, IATP also responds to Tech Kitchen inquiries from community day programs and residential providers. Culinary education is a cornerstone of the curriculum at Gateway to Learning, a Lincoln Square program dedicated to providing lifelong learning opportunities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To help inform their programming across four kitchen classrooms and onsite bakery Dorothy’s Sweet Shoppe, Gateway contacted IATP for a virtual training.

“Many staff expressed interest in learning how to adapt culinary tasks to maximize participant independence, and IATP offers that expertise,” says Amanda Bulgrin, director of community day services at Gateway to Learning. IATP’s training covered topics such as mobility and low vision considerations, adaptive measuring tools, and knife safety. The insights served as refreshers and guidance for the Gateway to Learning team, which continues to champion the culinary arts as a means of creative expression and autonomy building for their community.

“When one cooks or bakes, the most noticeable result is the meal or the baked good. But the reality is that someone is gaining a lot of experience and skill development in the process,” says John Ratzenberger, chief operating officer at Gateway to Learning.

Bulgrin agrees. “Life skills are key in a person achieving increased independence,” she says. “In turn, these skills build self-esteem and confidence — it feels good.”

That Sunday at home, I came around the kitchen counter next to where Daniel stood and asked if he wanted my help. He looked at me, then back to his dish, now nearing completion in a steaming, perfectly fluffy scramble.

Daniel kept his gaze on the skillet, using the spatula along its edges, pausing his singing only momentarily to speak.

“I want to do it myself.”

He returned to his song and to his spatula, smiling wider this time.

Nicole Schnitzler is a freelance writer.