wfn.org | "Forgotten Fires" on Church Burnings, KKK

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2227
Email: news@ncccusa.org  Web: www.ncccusa.org

29NCC3/16/99 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL PBS AIRING SET FOR POWERFUL "FORGOTTEN FIRES" STORY

NEW YORK CITY - "Forgotten Fires" - the powerful story 
of race relations in a rural community in South Carolina 
that experienced two church burnings - is scheduled for 
national broadcast by PBS this spring.  The program was 
produced for the Independent Television service with funds 
provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and 
other funders, including the NCC.

The story begins with the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan 
in Clarendon County, S.C., in 1994 - a development many 
citizens regarded as unthinkable.  But when two young men 
were drawn into the Klan and burned down two historic Black 
churches, the community was forced to confront the true 
state of race relations in the post-Civil Rights South.  We 
see the often surprising turn of events through the eyes of 
Klan members past and present, pastors, and citizens young 
and old.  They weave a compelling narrative of faith facing 
down evil, the seductiveness of hatred, and the power of 
reconciliation.

The NCC is encouraging church members to look for this 
program April 29 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) and to 
think of ways it could be of continuing use in 
congregational settings.  The program can be an effective 
media tool for racial reconciliation - which is the goal the 
NCC had in mind when it joined with others to support this 
production.  

The NCC's $50,000 was the initial funding for the film 
and enabled the shooting of the footage related to the Ku 
Klux Klan.  The Council also helped the film's producers 
secure foundation funding.

 For further information and to order free discussion 
guides, contact ITVS at 415-356-8383 x242.

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