Klan Women

White nationalist organizations are often extremists in defense of idealized men and manhood, but also idealized gender roles in defense of nationalism, the purity of the white race and white Western civilization. Local women played a large role in the second Ku Klux Klan movement nationally and locally as well. For the national Klan history, I strongly recommend this brief overview at JSTOR, Linda Gordon's book and others).

The local Women's Klan auxiliary was not shy about their efforts as seen in this 8/11/1925 Urbana Daily Courier article:

Many times they were only mentioned as dutiful wives at larger events, like the 11/20 advertisement and 11/23/1923 coverage for the two day convention where the Imperial Wizard of the national organization and Illinois Grand Dragon attended events. The issues of gender roles put on the ultimate display as the convention culminated in the wedding of the Exalted Cyclops' daughter surrounded by Klan, fiery crosses, and giant white K's:

 

At other large events the initiations of new members included separate initiation ceremonies of women into their auxiliary group. Courier coverage from 8/29/1924:

Local women, however, had also been organizing locally for quite some time. Locally there were already Home Leagues, Women's Christians Temperance Unions, and various women's auxiliaries to various fraternal orders like the Knights of Pythias (Pythian Sisters) or Masons (Eastern Star). Even with less press coverage of their activities, Klan Women engaged in many of the same activities as the primary men's group, and publicly. Visiting churches in regalia with donations such as in this 2/10/1924 News-Gazette article:

Sometimes the donations were flags or Bibles (especially to schools), but a lot of the time it was straight up cash. Along with some theatrics. From the 2/10 News-Gazette and 2/11/1924 Courier coverage of their visit to the local Plymouth Community Church:

And again at the Champaign Dunkard Church as reported in the Courier on 2/18/1924:

 

Christmas and other events involved more work by both men and women of the Klan. The Courier printed the Women's Klan's own press release on 12/26/1924 to help highlight their charitable efforts:

Just as with the men's group, the organization was multi-level and there were often visits and conventions with regional and national officers. From the News-Gazette coverage of the women's convention (related to the women's parade above) on 8/11/1925 and another reported 11/29/1925:

Other rare references mostly centered on the men, and what they may have been doing for the "Ladies of the Klan" as opposed to the work they often did behind the scenes for most of the functions of fraternal organizations. From the News-Gazette 2/13/1927 coverage of another "Klorero" regional convention:

Unfortunately, a lot of references in the press and other research tend to only mention the wives and daughters of the Klan in passing reference to the men's activities, weddings, or as the Mrs. You could be forgiven if you didn't know the first name of the Exalted Cyclops' wife over decades of news articles. She was in the news and did her own organizing in other groups as well, but was almost always referred to as Mrs. J. J. Reynolds, as was formal custom at the time. Beyond giant Klan weddings when the Imperial Wizard was in town, other Reynold's daughters and family members attended other large events. Mary got national news coverage that came back to the Courier on 9/14/1926:

Klan membership could sometimes be secretive, or at least a little cryptic and evasive in admitting one was a member versus simply supportive. For many, however, it was a family affair. Often with the masks off and for the whole world to see.