Forgotten Fires

In 1994, the Ku Klux Klan came to Clarendon County, South Carolina. The following year, two young men, Timothy Welch and Christopher Cox, burned two black churches: the Macedonia Baptist Church (which was near the field where the Klan held rallies) and the Mt. Zion AME Church. Two older men--Arthur Haley and Hubert Rowel--were also sentenced as accomplices. Combining interviews with Welch, members of the Haley family, pastors, parishioners and KKK officials (including Grand Dragon Horace King, whose deadpan comment "I'm all heart" is perhaps the most chilling cinematic moment I've experienced in several years), Michael Chandler's probing documentary peels the layers off of a seemingly cut and dry case of racist violence to reveal a complex web underneath. We hear bizarre notions (some of the Haley's thought that blacks go to church for "free cheese" and other government subsidies), see downright surreal connections (Lester Haley, ex-Klan himself, would eventually approach the NAACP for help for his brother), and experience moments of profound grace (such as when the churchless Reverend Mouzon reads his letter to the incarcerated Timothy Welch, assuring him that "our prayers are with you"). Eventually the principals would learn that they shared a lot more in common due to their economic status than any perceived differences over race. A powerful, intelligent tale about many of God's children--the hateful, the innocent, the stupid--and the possibilities of redemption. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)