A&E changes doc series title to 'Escaping the KKK'
A&E Friday changed the title of an eight-hour documentary series focusing on Ku Klux Klan members, a project that drew criticism by those worried it would normalize a hate group after it was announced earlier this week.
Generation KKK will now be called Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America (Jan. 10, 10 ET/PT), a title that more explicitly states the focus of the series and the nature of the group at its center, A&E says.
In a statement released Friday, A&E explained the move. "The network is changing the name of the show to ensure that no one can mistake its intent and that the title alone does not serve to normalize the Klan."
A&E, which is partnering with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on the project, also said it has created a partnership with Color of Change, "the leading next-generation African-American civil rights organization."
According to a description of the series, Escaping the KKK "follows several family members who work with anti-hate 'extractors' in order to help themselves or their family leave the Klan. It is a documentary about real people: those who are looking for a pathway out (of) hatred" and away from a group advocating white supremacy.
New TV documentary series on Ku Klux Klan to start in January
The announcement of the series this week led to a quick backlash, as individuals and groups worried the show would normalize the KKK, making it seem acceptable. On its website, Color of Change included a link to a petition effort asking A&E to cancel Generation KKK.
The cable network says Escaping continues a commitment expressed last year with Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America, which was organized after a white gunman entered a South Carolina church and murdered nine African-American congregants.
In addition to a public-service campaign planned with the ADL, a leading civil rights organization, A&E will add content from civil rights leaders between segments of the show. It also plans a town hall-style show that will focus on ways to end hate in America. A&E, the ADL and Color of Change also will prepare viewer guides and develop an educational curriculum to supplement the documentary series.
“We are glad to have some of the country’s leading civil rights organizations, including the ADL, Color of Change and others as partners in this effort, and look forward to working together to impact hate in America," A&E executive vice president Rob Sharenow said in a statement. "We feel that this new title and enhanced partnerships, the in-show and after-show components and our outreach plan more broadly reflect the existing anti-hate content of the series and our longstanding intention. That goal is to expose and combat racism and hatred in all its forms and we appreciate the valuable feedback we have received.”
Color of Change executive director Rashad Robinson commended the addition of contextual material during the series and the town hall to help make sure "it did not normalize and humanize racism and white supremacy. Black communities know all too well how perpetuating stereotypes and hateful rhetoric can empower a racist and violent agenda."