Over the past century, the primary symbol associated with #KuKluxKlan groups — apart from the groups themselves — has been what Klan members may call #MIOAK, an acronym for “Mystic Insignia of a Klansman.” It is more commonly referred to as the “Blood Drop” Cross.
It appears as a square white cross outlined in black, set against a circular red background. At the center of the cross is what appears to be a red drop of blood.
Although even most members of the Klan are unaware of it, this symbol did not originally appear as either a cross or a blood drop. In the early 1900s, when the so-called “Second Ku Klux Klan” emerged, it adopted a symbol consisting of images of four “K” letters arranged in a square and facing outward. At the center was a yin-yang symbol. In the following years, however, the four letters were reoriented into a more vertical position, causing the symbol to resemble a cross.
At the same time, the white portion of the yin-yang symbol disappeared, leaving only the colored portion, which resembled a blood drop. Eventually, many #Klansmen came to use a cross with the “blood drop” representing the blood shed to protect the White race as their symbol.
Today, there is no single — or almost authentically “original” — “Ku Klux Klan.” Instead, it is a type of hate group, and there are typically several dozen different active Klan groups operating in the United States at any given time.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES: Ku Klux Klan, MIOAK | GROUP STATUS: Active (as there are multiple active #KuKluxKlan groups)
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