A public insult aimed at Lumbee identity was understood collectively.

The rally therefore created exactly the kind of solidarity Cole hoped to prevent.

This helps explain why the Klan’s public performance failed so dramatically.

The organization mistook visible ceremony for deeper authority.

Robes and banners can produce fear when people believe resistance will leave them alone and exposed.

At Hayes Pond, nobody had to wonder whether anyone else would come.

Hundreds did.

That is the part of the story no single photograph can fully capture.

The famous banner image shows the end result, but the real source of power was the network of relationships that existed before the camera arrived.

The Klan could bring a symbol into Robeson County.