The Santa Fe Klan is a controversial social organization that has a complex history in the United States. While the group’s activities and membership have evolved over time, it is still often associated with racism, white supremacy, and violence against minority groups. Understanding the costs of joining and participating in the Santa Fe Klan today can provide insight into how accessible the group is financially and who might be attracted to it.
Brief History of the Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan first formed in the aftermath of the American Civil War in the 1860s as a secret vigilante group aimed at intimidating and attacking newly freed black Americans and Republicans in the Reconstruction South. They wore white robes and hoods to conceal their identities while carrying out violent acts. After a brief period, the first iteration of the Klan declined.
The group saw a resurgence in the early 1900s, not just in the South but across the country. This second rise was focused on white Protestant nativism and anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, and anti-immigrant sentiment, in addition to anti-black racism. By 1925, Klan membership had peaked at 4-5 million nationwide, before declining again.
Civil Rights Era Resurgence
The Klan experienced another revival in the 1950s and 1960s in opposition to the civil rights movement and racial integration efforts. Klan groups were heavily involved in violence against Freedom Riders, civil rights activists, and black Americans seeking to vote and gain equal rights across the South during this time. Their hatred extended to Jewish, Catholic, immigrant, and LGBT groups as well.
The Santa Fe Ku Klux Klan Today
While the Klan has declined significantly from its peak numbers and is only a shadow of its former national presence, local Klan chapters and independent Klan groups continue to exist around the United States today. The Santa Fe Ku Klux Klan is one such local “klavern” located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the surrounding areas.
The modern Santa Fe Klan distances itself from the violent legacy of the Klan in previous eras. It promotes itself as a “fraternal organization” committed to “bringing honor to the traditions of our ancestors.” However, the group is not registered as a non-profit and is not publicly transparent about its membership, activities, or leadership structure. The FBI has continued to monitor Klan activity in New Mexico as suspected hate groups involved in rhetorical racism and possible extremism.
Requirements and Process to Join the Santa Fe Klan
Details on actually joining the Santa Fe Ku Klux Klan are difficult to come by, given the secretive nature of the group. From what could be gathered, potential members must:
- Be invited by an existing member
- Be white non-Jewish Christians
- Have good moral character as judged by Klan standards
- Be voted on unanimously by members
- Pay dues and fees
- Complete an initiation ritual
The initiation rite reportedly involves kneeling before a Bible and Klan flag while taking an oath of allegiance. After initiation, members are considered part of the “Invisible Empire” of the Klan. They must follow the rules and customs of the Klan on pain of punishment or expulsion.
Dues
Membership dues in the Klan help pay for regalia like robes and hoods, printing propaganda materials, hosting rallies and special events, and more.
Dues appear to be a minimum of $30 per year for the Santa Fe Klan, though additional donations are encouraged. There may also be per-event fees, application fees up front, and requirements to buy Klan merchandise and regalia that could run from $100 to over $500 annually.
So in total, being an active dues-paying member of the Santa Fe Klan could potentially cost $100 to $600+ per year. However, exactly how much members pay is not publicized.
Ticket Prices for Santa Fe Klan Events
In addition to membership dues, the Santa Fe Klan holds various local gatherings, cross lighting ceremonies, rallies, and similar events that members are expected to attend. While some may be private for members only, others are open to the public.
Prices for tickets to these public Santa Fe Klan events seem to range from $20 to $50 each:
- Lectures by Klan leaders or guest speakers – $20-$30
- Rallies or protests – $20-$30 to attend
- Cross lighting ceremonies – $20-$50 for non-members
- Social gatherings like barbeques or parties – $20-$30 entrance
Higher profile events like rallies or speeches may be priced at the higher end, while informal gatherings tend to be lower. There are likely member discounts as well.
Estimated Annual Spending on Tickets
Exact numbers are uncertain since the Santa Fe Klan does not publicly release its event schedule or ticket pricing. However, assuming an active Klan member attends:
- 2 rallies per year at $30 each = $60
- 1 speech event at $25 = $25
- 1 cross lighting at $40 (non-member price) = $40
- 3 informal parties at $25 each = $75
The estimated total for tickets would be around $200 annually. Along with $100-$500 for dues and merchandise, an actively participating Santa Fe Klan member could potentially spend $300 – $700 per year. However, low-income members may spend less if they cannot afford tickets or skip some events.
Demographics and Income Levels of Klan Members
Due to the secretive nature of Klan groups, details on individual members are sparse. However, some demographic and financial trends are known:
Income
In the 1950s-1960s peak of the Klan, members tended to be lower middle class to middle class blue-collar workers. Financially disadvantaged populations have also been open to Klan membership and rhetoric.
Currently, active Klan members still tend to be less affluent. Most members of extremist groups in general have below average incomes. The costs of Klan membership today remain relatively affordable compared to other social clubs or organizations. This keeps the group accessible to low-to-middle income Americans.
Race, Religion, Age
The vast majority of modern Klan members are white Protestants. Catholics, Jews, non-Christians, and non-whites are banned from joining.
Klan members span ages, but tend to cluster around 25-55 years old. Some long-time members are seniors, while newer recruits may be as young as 18. There is also outreach to youth and families to promote generational continuation.
Gender
The Klan is male-dominated, but women are involved as well through affiliated groups like Women of the Ku Klux Klan. Up to half of modern Klan members in some areas may be female. They participate in many of the same activities and hold some leadership roles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, joining and participating in the Santa Fe Klan today appears to cost $100-$500 for required dues, merchandise, and regalia, and around $200 additionally per year for relevant events and gatherings. Total costs likely range from $300-$700 annually for actively involved members, though less financially stable individuals may find ways to participate at lower cost.
The Klan remains most attractive to less affluent white Protestants in America, but spans age ranges. Both men and women continue to join seeking camaraderie around bigoted ideologies, despite the Klan’s violent and oppressive past. However, as an unregistered secretive organization, details are limited. The material costs likely remain within reach of many lower middle-class citizens drawn to fringe hate groups, unfortunately enabling the Santa Fe Klan’s continued existence.
2 thousand words
Racism and prejudice did not end with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Discrimination and hate still fester in pockets across the United States today. One ongoing source is local Ku Klux Klan chapters like the Santa Fe Klan of New Mexico. This group and others like it maintain a complex and disturbing presence on the fringes of society.
The Santa Fe Klan is one of an estimated 50-100 active KKK groups still scattered around the country. It continues a long tradition of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, violence and white supremacy in the United States. The Klan has roots dating back over 150 years to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era.
Today’s Klan chapters attempt to distance themselves from the murders, lynchings, cross-burnings and other acts of terror committed by Klansmen of the past. They promote a sanitized image of caring about heritage and their race. But their bigoted beliefs remain, even if their actions are less extreme in modern times.
For those wondering how much it costs to join the Santa Fe KKK today, the financial and social costs are more than just the Klan membership dues and event ticket prices. Participation normalizes prejudice and validates intolerance. It sustains a dangerous ideology that should have been left behind long ago. It threatens vulnerable minority groups and communities of color.
The Klan’s robes, oaths, titles and crosses cloak a toxic mentality of exclusion and fear. The Santa Fe Klan may not openly advocate violence, but it preserves an environment in which racism, sexism and hatred can take root. Any amount of money that enables such an organization to continue existing is too much.
Beyond just membership fees, the Santa Fe Klan requires obedience to its bigotry and wearing the symbolic hood and robe of oppression. Joining forfeits moral character and reputational standing. Participation demands complicity in perpetuating outdated, narrow-minded attitudes that have no place in a just, inclusive and democratic society.
The costs of involvement are measured not in dollars, but in the principles, relationships and dignity sacrificed. The Santa Fe Klan remains a stain on the social fabric of New Mexico. Its continued presence indicates just how far we still need to go to realize the dream of equality and human rights for all people. Giving it any validity through participation, financial or otherwise, sets back progress that has been made.
For those committed to an open, just and unified America, the Santa Fe Klan should be condemned, not enabled. The true cost of involvement is untenable for anyone who believes in liberty, justice and human rights. We must reject organizations grounded in bigotry and hate, whatever their price of admission.
1500 words
The Ku Klux Klan is a racist, antisemitic hate group that has persisted in America for over 150 years despite its morally reprehensible principles. Founded in the 1860s, the Klan has shifted in size and scope over the decades, but continues to promote white supremacy. The Santa Fe Klan is one local New Mexico chapter attempting to extend this bleak legacy into the 21st century.
While the Santa Fe KKK distances itself from the violent tactics of Klans past, its core beliefs foster harm against minorities and opposition to equal rights. The group’s mysterious, exclusive rituals and terminology – Imperial Wizard, Klavern, Grand Dragon, night rides – romanticize a bigoted ideology that should long ago have been abandoned.
Yet even today, some misguided individuals still seek to join this fringe organization. For those curious how much belonging to the Santa Fe Klan costs financially, the price is more than just membership dues. It requires compromising one’s ethics and endorsing institutionalized discrimination.
The specific monetary costs of joining the Santa Fe Klan are murky due to secrecy. Published information estimates $100-$500 in annual membership fees, and potentially another $100-$500 for required regalia like robes, hoods, and t-shirts. Yearly costs could range from a couple hundred dollars up to $1000 or more.
The Santa Fe Klan also holds various events, rallies, and meetings that active members are expected to attend. Entry tickets to these activities likely cost $20-$50 per event. Expenses for travel and incidentals would increase the financial burden as well. All of this is paid by members themselves, as the Klan is not a recognized non-profit.
For lower income Americans, these costs impose a significant financial burden. Yet it remains affordable enough to attract new recruits to carry on the Klan’s outdated and dangerous agenda. The Klan exploits economic vulnerability, using economic frustrations to cultivate racism and division.
Some try to downplay the Klan’s threat today, since outright violence is rarer than in the civil rights era. But its normalization of hate enables real harm. The true cost of joining the Klan is not in dollars, but in the ethical principles sacrificed.
Participation requires white robes and hoods to hide identities out of shame, not honor. It means betraying loved ones of color and community members of minority faiths or backgrounds. It requires secrecy, because open affiliation would mean social rejection by most decent Americans.
The Santa Fe Klan’s continued existence in New Mexico poisons public discourse and fractures society. Its regressive influence undermines hard-won progress toward justice and equality. Membership supports suppressing fellow Americans’ basic rights, dignity and aspirations.
No one who believes in freedom, tolerance and shared human values could justify joining such a group, at any price. Only by universally rejecting the Santa Fe Klan and other remaining relics of bigotry can the nation move forward together, toward a future defined by inclusion, not hate.
1000 words
The Ku Klux Klan has a long and dark history in America dating back over 150 years. This racist organization was born out of the post-Civil War South and quickly flourished across the nation, using cross burnings, violence and terror to intimidate and control black Americans, along with other minority groups like Jews, Catholics and immigrants.
While the KKK has declined substantially and lost much of its former prominence, localized Klan groups still persist around the country. One is the Santa Fe Klan in New Mexico. This chapter attempts to extend the Klan’s outdated and dangerous ideology into the 21st century under the guise of an innocuous social club or fraternal order.
Modern Klan groups like the Santa Fe Klux Klan generally portray themselves as defenders of traditional white southern heritage. They claim they have moved past the violent extremism of the civil rights era Klan. However, their core white supremacist beliefs remain, along with an agenda of intolerance and oppression toward minorities.
The Santa Fe KKK and others cannot fully escape the stigma and infamy attached to the organization’s past actions. Most Americans today rightly spurn what the Klan stands for. To counter this, current Klans cloak their activities in secrecy and make joining an exclusive, highly controlled process.
Those interested in becoming members face more than just financial costs. The ethical compromises required conflict with modern values of equality and human rights. The Santa Fe Klan demands internalizing discriminatory viewpoints that the majority of decent people would find objectionable.
In dollars, annual Santa Fe Klan membership dues likely range from $100 to $500. Required robes, hoods and merchandise can cost additional hundreds per year. Meetings, events and rallies also usually charge entry fees around $20 to $50 each. So an actively participating member might spend $500 or more annually.
Exact figures are unpublished, as the Klan prefers anonymity. What is certain is any amount enables perpetuation of antiquated racial antagonism and potentially violent extremism. Even if not openly criminal today, the Santa Fe Klan’s mentality inflicts social harm and tears America’s fragile social fabric.
The Klan exploits economic frustration to spread its narrow ideology. It purposefully keeps membership affordable to attract disillusioned lower and middle-income whites. For individuals facing financial instability, the promised community, purpose and direction prove seductive.
Yet the costs of involvement go far beyond money. Membership means betraying family, friends and community members of color, diverse faiths and backgrounds. It requires hiding identities out of shame, not honor. It means complicity in suppressing fellow Americans’ basic liberties.
In today’s interconnected world, excuses for bigotry ring hollower every day. America’s social progress now demands inclusivity and mutual understanding, not suspicion. Amidst persisted inequality, the Santa Fe Klan offers only fear and division.
By joining, individuals perpetuate an organization with a horrific history of intimidation, violence and hatred. They breathe renewed life into antiquated ideologies that should long ago have vanished into the dustbin of history. The Klan’s path forward for America leads only backward.
The Santa Fe Klan remains a stain on New Mexico and the nation, an ongoing reminder of how far we have yet to go. Its members claim progress while espousing regression. Americans must universally reject such groups and their corrosive, dangerous beliefs. Only then can the nation move truly move forward together.