December 05, 2025
By Nick Gledhill
| Photos by Jay Drowns
Utah Valley University’s (UVU) fall 2025 Presidential Lecture Series began Thursday, December 4, 2025, with a powerful address by renowned blues and rock musician, conflict navigator, and author Daryl Davis. Speaking to a standing-room-only crowd in the Noel and Carrie Vallejo Auditorium, Davis delivered his lecture titled “From Discord to Harmony: Transforming Conflict Into Collaboration.”
Core Values for Humanity
Davis shared his journey of over 40 years in addressing racism through dialogue. He emphasized five core values that every human being wants:
To be loved.
To be respected.
To be heard.
To be treated fairly and truthfully.
The same things for their family as you want for yours.
Lessons from Conflict Resolution
Davis, known for his historic music career with artists including Chuck Berry and his extraordinary work in conflict resolution, shared stories from his decades-long journey of engaging with individuals across deep political and cultural divides, including white supremacists and highly ranked officials in the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
He recalled one such interaction with then KKK Grand Dragon Roger Kelly, sharing a news clip in which Kelly remarked that he respected Davis.
“Mr. Kelly said he … believes in separation of the races, because he finds that to be in the best interest of all races. But … he said that he respected me. What's that all about? I'm the enemy. I'm the Black guy. I'm the reason he joined the klan. He doesn't like Black people. We may not agree on everything, but he respects me enough to sit down and listen to me, and I respect him enough to sit down and listen to him. If you don't take anything else home today, take those words home and apply them if you have somebody with an opposing point of view.”
Breaking Down Prejudice
Davis eventually built relationships with over 20 KKK members. Over the course of his conversations, Davis found that Klansmen have many misconceptions about Black people, stemming mostly from intense brainwashing in their youth. When the Klansmen got to know Davis, it became more difficult for them to maintain their prejudices, and many of them left the KKK altogether, giving their white robes and hoods to Davis.
A Call to Civic Action
At the conclusion of his remarks, Davis challenged listeners not to be afraid to listen to those with opposing views and to be proactive in civil engagement.
“Our country, our society, can only become one of two things,” he said. “One: It can become that which we sit back and watch it become. Or two: It can become that which we stand up and make it become. So, you have to ask yourselves the question: Do you want to sit back and see what your country becomes, or do you want to stand up and make it become what you want to see?”
UVU's New Initiative
The event was part of UVU’s new initiative, Our Better Selves for a Better America, which aims to expand on the development of essential civic and interpersonal skills among UVU students and the community, such as communication, debate, negotiation, and peacemaking.
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Article tags:
President's Office
Presidential Lecture Series
December 2025
2025
