When Chris took over the Security of Georgia for the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, he was told he needed to brand himself. So, he fashioned a tattoo with a fat X because each part makes a K. The white inside signified that white is right. The red all around was the blood that has been and will be shed for the white race.
I only consented to watch this documentary because Katie Couric’s name was on it. Somehow, there had to be a redeeming feature.
Chris lives in Lafayette, Georgia. On the highway leading into town is a giant Confederate flag with a sign reading Lafayette, GA – est. 1883. He has buttons in his ears and his arms are covered in tattoos. He smokes a cigarette while grilling chicken on a spindly grill at the side of his simple home. He says, “My kid knows how to disarm and take evasive measures.”
He has trained one son, who looks about 7 years old, to wait out in the woods until about 10 p.m. The son knows how to shoot and in the film he kills a dear which his proud father drags out of the brush. This is survival training, and Chris knows it well after tours of duty in the army.
His hate and prejudice are clear and understandable. “Every injury I sustained was given to me by Muslims. I saw my best friend take a bullet above his right eye and come out the back of his head. All done by Muslims.”
Juxtaposed to Chris’s story is that of a medical doctor in Clarkston, Georgia, a diverse Mecca for refugees. His name is Heval and he is a Syrian Kurd and a Muslim. His mother and father live with him in a very nicely maintained multi-storied home. He explains, “My father has depression. He used to be a lawyer and was the main breadwinner. … We were always targeted. Police came and took Dad and tortured him. Now he is in his 70s and dealing with the consequences.”
Clarkston is the polar opposite of LaFayette. When the citizens heard about the massacre at a mosque in New Zealand in 2019, they joined in a community prayer vigil led by the town rabbi and a Baptist pastor.
When he was 12, Heval and his family were temporarily placed in a German refugee camp. About five years later he and his family were accepted into the US just 14 days after the 9-11 attack on the US. They were understandably wary, as the 911 attack was perpetrated by so-called Muslims. But a large group of Clarkston Christians knocked on their door and welcomed them.
Clarkston, with 40 different nationalities, 60 different languages and all the major religions on earth, is perhaps the most diverse town in the US. And, as the film notes, “it is not having ethnic wars or strife.”
The story of the meeting between Chris with Heval is the meat of this film. How did their paths cross and what happens next?
But the example of Clarkston, a diverse Georgia city full of refugees, is worth the price you may pay to see this insightful, inspiring film. It’s just what you might expect from something executive produced by Katie Couric and her media company.
Credits
Katie Couric Media and Artemis Rising Foundation
Producers/Writers/Directors: Erin Bernhardt and Din Blankenship
Editor: Katharine Garrison
Consulting Editor: Leigh Johnson
Music: Ryan Potesta
Executive Producers: Katie Couric. Regina K. Scully, Patty Quillin, Sabrina Merage Naim, Geralyn Dreyfous, Pat Mitchell, Brenda Robinson, Caroline Tucker, Common Pictures and More Productions, David Hudakoc, Mary Beth Minnis, Emmanuel Jal, Stephen Nemeth, and Betsy Stahl
Co-Producer: Katherine Garrison
Director of Photography: Joseph East
Release: March 24, 2023
Website: https://www.refugemovie.com/film
. . .
Join us on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/itsjustmovies!