The Imperial Wizard of all Klans addresses assembled Klansmen. Robert Sheldon is not wearing robes having just arrived at the ceremony. Grand Wizard Bob Jones stands by his side. North Carolina. The Ku Klux Klan is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the US, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism. it is classified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. It is estimated to have between 3,000 and 5,000 members as of 2012. The first Klan flourished in the Southern United States in the late 1860s, then died out by the early 1870s. Members adopted white costumes: robes, masks, and conical hats, designed to be outlandish and terrifying, and to hide their identities. The second KKK flourished nationwide in the early and mid 1920s, and adopted the same costumes and code words as the first Klan, while introducing cross burnings. The third KKK emerged after WW II and was associated with opposing the Civil Rights Movement and progress among minorities.