The latest Fuller Circle luncheon brought together Austin’s history community for a powerful conversation that felt both urgent and timeless. Patricia Bernstein, acclaimed historian and author of Ten Dollars to Hate, delivered a riveting talk about Dan Moody, the young Texas prosecutor who became the first in the nation to successfully convict members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Bernstein traced the Klan’s rise in the 1920s—from Atlanta to Indiana to small towns in Texas—and how it infiltrated law enforcement, education, and even city halls. Her storytelling was unflinching: a reminder that hate wasn’t just tolerated—it was organized, financed, and sometimes even elected. But amid the terror, Bernstein spotlighted acts of courage. Moody, at just 29 years old, used the tools of the law and the power of publicity to put Klan members behind bars, sending a message that justice could prevail.

At one point, AHCA board member Jeffrey Dochen joined Bernstein to share a deeply personal story. His step-grandfather, John E. Shelton, a lawyer in Austin during the same era, was also targeted by the Klan for defending those the Klan sought to silence. Shelton refused to back down, famously confronting the local Klan leader and later filing murder charges against 19 men after a fatal Klan-linked shooting. “You good people of Austin don’t have to stand up to the Klan,” he told the city. “We Sheltons will. All you have to do is stand behind us.”

Bernstein ended her talk with a pointed reflection. The forces that enabled the Klan didn’t vanish—they evolved. And the same tools Moody used then—the law, public exposure, and organized resistance—remain essential today. “History isn’t just something to study,” she said. “It’s something to model. Or something to fight.”

The Austin History Center Association is proud to host events like this—where forgotten heroes are remembered, hard truths are confronted, and the past is used to light the path forward.

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