Indiana Senator Demands Angel Reese Apologize to Racist Fans in the Historical Center of the Ku Klux Klan
The Senator from a Sundown Town Talks About Racism
When people think of Indiana, many things may come to mind. It’s the home of the Indianapolis 500, one of the top Formula 1 car races in the world. Many famous musicians are from Indiana, including Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, as well as Janet Jackson, who hail from Gary. A billboard in Indianapolis reminds people it’s the home of Babyface. I can’t leave out John Mellencamp, Axl Rose, and David Lee Roth. The real Johnny Appleseed spent his final days in Indiana, though he was born in Leominster, Massachusetts. Indiana, partly due to the movie Hoosiers, is known for its basketball heritage, currently boasting the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the WNBA's Indiana Fever. Indiana, partly due to the movie Hoosiers, is known for its basketball heritage, currently boasting the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the WNBA's Indiana Fever.
What may not immediately come to mind is that Indiana was once the center of the Ku Klux Klan's universe during its second wave. By 1922, the state with the largest Klan population wasn’t among the likely suspects like Georgia, Mississippi, or Alabama. It was Indiana that had the largest Ku Klux Klan (KKK) population, reaching 300,000. By 1925, over half the elected members of the Indiana General Assembly, the Governor of Indiana, and many other high-ranking officials in local and state government were members of the Klan. Politicians in many areas learned they needed the Klan’s endorsement to win office. About 30% of native-born white men in Indiana belonged to the Klan.
I don’t mean to leave out the women. Daisy Douglas Barr was the leader of the Women’s Ku Klux Klan (WKKK) in Indiana and seven other states with a combined membership of 250,000. Working with Indiana’s Grand Wizard, D.C. Stevenson, they elected Indiana’s Klan Governor, Edward L. Jackson. Both Stevenson and Barr were involved in scandals and criminal activity, but those are stories for another day.
I bring up the history of Indiana because of a recent story involving Indiana Fever fans being accused of racism and Indiana Senator Jim Banks calling on Angel Reese to “apologize” for something she neither started nor promoted. When asked a question about racist taunts, Reese said the following:
“There’s no place in this league for that. I think the WNBA, our team, and our organization have done a great job supporting me. I’ve had communication from so many people across this league and being able to support me. Going through this whole process obviously, it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone. I think they’ve done a great job supporting us in this.”
Asked specifically about taunts in a recent game in Indiana against the Fever, she added:
“Yeah, obviously it’s tough, but I think I have a great support system. I’m loved by so many people and obviously in the moment it’s hard to hear, but my support system is great. God has protected me in so many different ways. I’ve gone through so many different things in the past couple of years of my life.”
During that game, Reese received a hard foul from Caitlan Clark, the Fever superstar with whom Reese has had a rivalry since their college days. Many people have made their competition racial, though the individual players have generally stayed away from the issue. Due to published reports (not initiated by Reese), the WNBA investigated complaints of racist taunts directed at Reese and “found no evidence” of racism, which is a far cry from proving they didn’t exist.
To be clear, Indiana Fever fans have been criticized for racism even before Clark and Reese entered the WNBA in 2024. Black Fever player Aliyah Boston went silent on social media due to comments directed at her by the team's fans.
“To start the season, I was at the other end of those hate comments. They (Fever fans) say they support the Fever, but they said everything was under the earth, and that wasn’t nice. It was a big reason why I took a break from social media.” — Aliyah Boston
Caitlan Clark spoke out about the racist comments and taunts Senator Banks would have Reese apologize for and state that they don’t exist.
“It is definitely upsetting. Nobody in our league should be facing any kind of racism, hurtful, hateful comments and threats. Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls. And it is a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization and the WNBA. There are so many great players, great teams and positive storylines that can be written and celebrated,” — Caitlan Clark
Here is what Banks had to say:
“Reese accused the Indiana Fever fanbase of being racist, they investigated it, and said that the accusations were false. The least that she could is apologize to our great state and the fans that show up to these games and say ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong.’ Obviously she’s not going to do that.
Why isn’t the Indiana Fever apologizing to their own fanbase for putting them through that? Those are awful allegations; they weren’t true, and the fans weren’t shouting racial slurs toward Angel Reese or opposing players. Where is Caitlin Clark? Where is the Indiana Fever? Where is the WNBA, saying that there shouldn’t have been an investigation? The allegations were false. Where is the apology?”
Jim Banks may not be the best spokesperson to demand apologies. Twitter once banned him for intentionally misgendering a high-ranking trans official. In his personal lost cause, he wants us to believe that Indiana Fever fans, a fair representation of the population of Indiana, cannot possibly be racist.
In the original state constitution of 1851, Black people were banned from the state. That lasted until the Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1868, when Black people were recognized as citizens. Individual towns and counties didn’t get the message and created sundown towns where Black people might work in a community as domestics or laborers, but better be out of town by sundown or be subject to being jailed or worse. Jim Banks grew up in Columbia City, Indiana, which, as you might guess, was a sundown town. I scoured a list of several dozen sundown towns and counties in Indiana to find it.
The heyday of the Klan in Indiana was indeed in the 1920s, but that doesn’t mean they disappeared. Sundown towns were made illegal with the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but the fears and attitudes underlying them weren’t legislated away. At present, Columbia City is 94.3% white and 0.4& Black. Jim Banks thinks he’s an expert on racism, but his lived experience suggests it may not be the way he thinks.
The Church of the Ku Klux Klan held an “Indiana White Unity Meet & Greet” in 2021. The meeting took place on private property in Auburn, Indiana, which is 140 miles from where the Fever play. There are five known active chapters of the Klan in Indiana, most of which are headquartered in rural small towns, but all are a short ride to an Indiana Fever game.
I’m not saying all white people from Indiana are racist. Many stand up in opposition to racism when they see it. A 2018 Klan rally in Madison, IN, drew more anti-Klan protesters than those coming for the rally. The Indiana Fever fans who have for years made racist remarks about opposing players and their own likely represent a small percentage, though they seem to have gone unchecked.
Jim Banks wanted to make Angel Reese the story, though she had nothing to do with it. The Larry Brown blog held Reese responsible, saying she “ helped spread the lie about her being targeted by racist Fever fans.” FYI, the Larry Brown of Larry Brown Sports is not the famous coach of the same name who coached the Indiana Pacers for four years among the eight NBA teams he led.
My point in all this is that Senator Jim Banks has no business condemning Angel Reese and demanding an apology. Angel has received documented racist comments in arenas across the country, including the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Fever play. Indiana is not the place to suggest that racism doesn’t exist. Those whose families go back generations very likely grew up under the influence of Klan members. There are conflicting reports as to whether the number of hate groups in Indiana is shrinking or growing, but their influence is expanding. There are certainly some very fine people in Indiana, but at least a few of the other kind show up to WNBA basketball games to harass Black players.
An ESPN analyst apologized for her comments about racism among Fever fans. Keeping her job probably depended on it. I hope Angel Reese never has to apologize for being on the receiving end of racist comments that Jim Banks can’t acknowledge.
This is where I live. It’s a blood red state with a blood red legislature and no regard for anyone who is not a white “christian” male. Thank you for what you do.
Not a bit surprised. Grandfather was from Indiana. He used Racial Slurs. He had a photo of the house he grew up in circa nineteen-twenty. On the back he'd written, "Now Occupied By Blacks."
A. Who Cares.
B. What?
C. Was 'Occupied By Whites' An Option?
D. Once, in the car, he commented on the BOOMING BASS from a stereo as coming "from these coons up here."
"That's Not A Nice Word, Daddy!" my mother snapped. I felt like I was going to start crying and wanted to go home. Just another shopping drag wheeling his perverted ass around Walmart. He lived to be 97. They just never die. I wouldn't be surprised if his father was IN the Indiana KKK. He also couldn't be left alone with little girls. Yes, you can be all kinds of an asshole, why choose.
He grew up in Indiana in the Twenties. So, yeah, he picked that up. Home Grown. And yes, my grandmother, raised in Washington State was Less Racist. Should we go to court over it?
REESE APOLOGIZE? For what? For hearing racist talk and commenting on it but not having audible evidence to prove it? Good God, the amount of 'Shit That Goes Down' that 'can't be proven' is ENORMOUS, Life Time Wide. EVERY WHERE. Can you hook people up to a machine, ask them if they are Racist or used Racal Slurs and the computer has it? Good luck with that technology.
A lot of people are assholes, not many will admit it.
Apologize to The State? Kiss My Fat Ass!