Scott Shepherd is pictured with Rebecca Scott Hawkins, the woman he credits with saving his life. "I love and miss her so much already," said Shepherd.
By Gary Glennell Toms
If there were organizations or individuals with racist views, chances are Scott Shepherd was closely associated with them. Shepherd, who spent the early part of his life in Mississippi and Texas, attended college in Mississippi and Georgia.
If there were organizations or individuals with racist views, chances are Scott Shepherd was closely associated with them. Shepherd, who spent the early part of his life in Mississippi and Texas, attended college in Mississippi and Georgia.
After
graduating, he relocated to Memphis, Tennessee; where he was introduced
to the white nationalist movement and went on to obtain a high-ranking
leadership position within a number of white nationalist organizations.
Shepherd was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan and served as Imperial
Wizard, Grand Wizard, and national leader of the Omerta Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan.
His
other affiliations included the National Association for the
Advancement of White People and The European-American Unity Rights
Organization, both founded by former Louisiana Congressman and Klansman
David Duke.
In
effort to teach what he described as "uneducated" whites about the
movement, Shepherd created The National White Rights Association and The
White Rights Organization. The Mississippi native also had connections
to "pro-white" organizations in South Africa and other countries. These
connections included extremist and anti-government groups. Some were
labeled militia or mercenary groups and were considered paramilitary,
such as The Civilian Material Assistance Group (CMA), an anti-government
and anti-Communist organization with operations in Central America.
Shepherd
was a candidate for state representative and governor in the state of
Tennessee in the late 80's and early 90's and proudly campaigned as a
white nationalist.
Today,
Scott Shepherd has a very different view on race in America, which is
largely due to a 10-day stint in a county jail in Nashville and
interactions with people of color. He now speaks out against the white
nationalist movement and other racist organizations he loved and
supported. The man who spent the majority of his life vehemently
campaigning for racial separation has become an advocate for racial
harmony and the recipient of numerous death threats from individuals and
organizations associated with the white nationalist movement. Despite
the threats to his life, he is determined to prevent others, especially
young people, from falling victim to the propaganda and recruitment
tactics used by the white nationalist movement and other racist groups.
Shepherd credits his lifelong relationship with his godmother, Rebecca Scott Hawkins,
as part of the reason for what many have described as "an incredible
transformation". On September 27 of this year, Hawkins, whom family and
friends lovingly called "Miss Becky", passed away peacefully in her
sleep. She would have celebrated her 104th birthday on October 3. "I'll
never be able to explain how this compassionate, loving and remarkable
woman impacted my life, and to say I love her would be an
understatement. "I'm so thankful to have had her in my life.," Shepherd stated.
"Miss Becky" and Shepherd during her 103rd birthday celebration.
The former Klansman also noted that Miss Becky was always there and never turned her back
on him, even when he was doing and saying the most hateful things as an
international spokesman for the movement. "Without question, it was her
faith in God, her faith in me, and her love that brought me through
those dark years," he said. "Heaven gained a new angel today. I, and my
family, will miss her dearly.
She was my backbone, my source of strength and my heart! She was a
mother and grandmother who, all around, held my heart. I love and miss
her so much
already, and I ask that people please pray for her family and mine. Fly
high, Becky. You
deserved it all. I love you, and I always will."
