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CONTACT: Faith Fuller, 229-924-7130, faith@cottonpatchproductions.com

"BRIARS" DOCUMENTARY SHEDS LIGHT ON FORGOTTEN PIECE
OF CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY
Koinonia Farm survived violence and boycotts to become the birthplace
of Habitat for Humanity International

AMERICUS, Ga. - "Briars in the Cotton Patch: The Story of Koinonia Farm," a new one-hour documentary, recounts the tale of race and religion from an almost forgotten chapter in civil rights history. Public Broadcasting Service is distributing the documentary nationally for showing in February during Black History Month.
      Koinonia Farm is significant for its stand against racial segregation more than a decade prior to the Civil Rights Movement.
      Koinonia, an interracial Christian community in Sumter County, Ga., and its founder Clarence Jordan became the target of the local white community’s hatred and violence because of beliefs in racial equality. Koinonia would endure years of bombings, shootings and economic boycotts – including attacks by the Ku Klux Klan – to become the birthplace of the worldwide movement of Habitat for Humanity.
      "'Briars in the Cotton Patch' is the intriguing story of a courageous Christian whose historic racial experiment predated the more famous civil rights movement by 15 years,” said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. “Dr. Clarence Jordan is an inspiration to all those who believe in peace, freedom and justice.”
     Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young narrates the story that takes viewers from Koinonia Farm's humble beginnings in 1942 through the turbulent Civil Rights Era and into its modern day challenges and successes.
      Nearly four years in the making, 'Briars' uses extensive archival sources and interviews with more than 30 people that capture the deep and long-standing emotions of local residents and members of Koinonia Farm.
      "Briars in the Cotton Patch" is currently in national circulation on PBS. Check your local listings for air dates and times.

“BRIARS IN THE COTTON PATCH” DOCUMENTARY
SCHEDULED FOR NATIONAL PBS DISTRIBUTION

Americus, Ga. – Growing up at Koinonia Farm near Americus, Ga., Faith Fuller always heard about the turbulent events surrounding the multiracial community during segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. In her new documentary entitled, Briars in the Cotton Patch: The Story of Koinonia Farm, she aims to shed light on this chapter of civil rights history.
      The idea to create the hour-long documentary formed in October 1999 when Fuller interviewed former Koinonia members for a seven-minute video she was producing for Habitat for Humanity International. During the production, Fuller heard first-hand accounts from people who lived and worked as equals on the multiracial farm in the Deep South, when beliefs in segregating the races ran deep.
      "As I was interviewing these people, I became fascinated with its story. Even though I grew up at Koinonia, I never took the time to understand it," said Fuller. "As I listened, I became more drawn into this amazing history."
      Having studied communications at Florida State University and worked as a television news reporter, Fuller says she decided to put on her journalist cap and set out to create a documentary that would accurately tell Koinonia's story.
      Briars takes viewers back to the humble beginnings of Koinonia Farm in 1942, when it was founded by Clarence Jordan, a Biblical scholar, as an experiment in Christian living. According to the documentary, blacks and whites worked on the farm together, receiving equal pay and living accommodations in exchange for their labor. This drew the attention of local segregationists opposed to the idea of equality between the races.
     The documentary recounts bombings, shootings and boycotts directed at the commune in the late 1950’s to drive the farm out of business and disband its members.
     In researching the story, Fuller relied on interviews with more than 30 people, which included former members of Koinonia Farm, the local area’s African-American community and business leaders in Americus at the time. Bobby Mathis, one of the people interviewed, remembers that he and other African-American children were warned by their parents not to go out to Koinonia because they feared possible backlash from the community if they were thought to be associated with members of the commune.
     Fuller also used accounts by local newspapers and national media such as The New York Times and the radio show "Report to the People," which compared the conflicts at Koinonia Farm to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956.
     "There was a sense of foreboding, I guess is the best way to describe it, in the community," Americus resident Frank Myers says in 'Briars' when describing the relationship between Koinonia and the surrounding community. "Fear for them, fear for us."
     The experience of producing the documentary was personal for Fuller because she remembers feeling that her family wasn't accepted when they first moved to Americus after having lived at Koinonia Farm for more than five years.
     "It was a wonderful journey and healing process for me to understand why there was resentment and misunderstanding," said Fuller.
     The latter part of Briars delves into the story of her parents, Millard and Linda Fuller, moving to Americus in 1977 after founding Habitat for Humanity at Koinonia. The idea of Habitat had taken root at the farm in 1968 after the Fullers decided to give away their possessions to pursue a life of service.
     The documentary examines Millard Fuller and Clarence Jordan's ideas on how to use the farm to help poor people living in Sumter County. One of their ideas evolved into a revolving fund that helped families living in shacks move into decent housing.
     "Clarence said if you are going to be an authentic disciple of Jesus, you have to take Jesus seriously, try to understand what his message really was about and incorporate it in our daily lives," explains Millard Fuller. "And that is why we started building houses. That was a relevant need in Sumter County."
     More than five years after she began producing Briars, Fuller looks back and remembers the weekends, holidays and vacations she spent working on the project. She feels the program, which is narrated by former Atlanta Mayor and Civil Rights veteran Andrew Young, is a work of high professional quality and hopes all PBS stations across the nation choose to broadcast the program in their states. Fuller is also thankful to the people who donated their time and money to make it possible. Most of all she hopes that the documentary will bring about an understanding of the past and preserve a piece of history.