Brogdon said his grandfather’s passion for civil rights was actually sparked by the Ku Klux Klan during his childhood.
“His grandfather was involved heavily with the church as well, and I guess the wrong people in the town didn’t like it,” Brogdon said. “So, the KKK came and burned crosses in their backyard. So, I remember him telling the story of how they woke up and the front yard was on fire because the KKK had just come. And I know that’s one of the stories that, as a child, really lit a fire for him… “My family, my grandparents have always been outspoken, my grandmother as well. She’s still here, and she tells stories of white folks in the town when they were growing up, and my mom and my sisters, were calling the house and threatening to kill them while my grandfather was away traveling.”