Wavy look at this:
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klanv  
 The first Klan flourished in the Southern United States in the late 1860s, then died out by the early 1870s. It sought to overthrow the Republican state governments in the South during the Reconstruction Era, especially by using violence against African American leaders. With numerous chapters across the South, it was suppressed around 1871
So the Democratic party was the start of the KKK.  Looks like Strom Thurmond did the right thing for the his children as well so I don't see that as something wrong. As far as switching parties that did not happen until after 1964.
Robert Byrd dem. KKK Hugo Black dem. KKK Theodore Gilmore Bilbo dem. KKK Bibb Graves dem. KKK Clifford Walker dem. KKK George Gordon dem. KKK John Brown Gordon dem. KKK John Clinton Porter dem. KKK David Duke democrat/rep. KKK Benjamin Stapleton dem. KKK Harry Truman was breifly dem. KKK Clarence Morley rep. kkk