A white Detroit businessman known for his support of civil rights groups and his generosity toward his black neighbors led a secret life as a high-ranking member in Ku Klux Klan.
Detroit NewsThe Detroit News said Jim Burwell's double identity only came to light after his death of a heart attack in 1990.
Until then, Burwell had a reputation for reaching out to help his black neighbors. He had an old bus that he used to ferry thousands of black children to church services and field trips. He ran a job program for ex-convicts that was partially funded by a civil rights group. He even donated to the Detroit Black Panther Party, the News said.
But documents found in his old truck repair shop after his death at 62 revealed Burwell had been a member of the KKK. Michigan State Police records also indicate he was involved with the Klan, the News said. His widow confirmed his membership. She said it was possible he was working for police as an informant, but there was nothing in police records to confirm that.
Revelations about Burwell's secret life shocked many who knew him as a rights champion. "I guess you never really know who you are dealing with," civil rights activist Rob Scott, a former Black Panther, told the newspaper. "A whole lot of black people considered him a friend."
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