Tonight's Dateline at 9.30pm on SBS ONE gets a rare glimpse inside the Ku Klux Klan in the US and asks why there's a new resurgence in members wanting to voice their racial hatred.
Steve Howard is the Imperial Wizard of the North Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and is one of the estimated 8,000 Klan members in the United States.
"I would like for us to have our own country, separate from black people," he tells reporter Aaron Thomas, who finds the resurgence in membership has been prompted in part by the election of Barack Obama.
"I'm just not a big fan of blacks in general," Steve says. "To me they're just a thieving race, just a low, low race. That's just my opinion and everybody's entitled to their opinion, but that's my opinion."
With rare access to both the Klan's elaborate cross lighting ceremonies and social gatherings, Aaron finds they're trying to present a new non-violent image with their own take on American patriotism.
But the voice of opposition is loud too, as those who've seen it all before hope that history is not about to repeat itself.
See Aaron's insight into the Ku Klux Klan on tonight's Dateline at 9.30pm on SBS ONE, and read more now on the Dateline website.
