I graduated college in mid-1980's. Born in early 1960's.
Oh Ralph. Does make our profession, and not just the school look bad. He now says that he was neither of the people in the photo, but for him to even to choose to put that in his yearbook is egregious.
The fact that the yearbook published the photo is also a statement of how racist the country was, especially near or below the Mason-Dixon Line, in 1984. (We still have a long way to go). In the Northeast, where I have spent my entire life, it was never acceptable to be seen wearing KKK garb or be seen WITH anyone wearing KKK garb. I think there was a slight chance of seeing someone in black face at a costume party, as wrong as that was back then and now. But never, never KKK garb. Never in a yearbook, never at a party, never in the street. I remember that while coming back from a trip to FL in 1972, we bought a unique old oak desk from an antiques store in North Carolina and my parents found some papers in the desk that referred to KKK activities. My parents burned the papers AND the desk in our backyard without ever bringing it in the house!!! They were so afraid of bad karma from the desk. So even in 1972, anything to do with KKK just violently offensive. Hate is hate and always has been.
If you haven't seen it, go see the movie, "The Green Book". Many 2019 Oscar nominations and shows the abysmal state of affairs in the 1960's when it comes to racism, esp in the South. There have always been racists everywhere, but what was socially acceptable is appalling. Should make everyone re-think and question what is socially acceptable. Doctors are in a position to be leaders when it comes to issues of social justice - so the next generation needs to continually question the status quo.
