Musician and actor Daryl Davis doesn’t collect vinyl records or playbills for legends Little Richard and Chuck Berry, whom he’s played alongside — he collects Ku Klux Klan memorabilia, and spends his time socializing with members of one of the most reviled groups in American history.
Davis, who is African-American, is the subject of the surprisingly touching SXSW documentary “Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America,” which chronicles Davis’ efforts to meet and befriend white supremacists in hopes of changing their opinions about people of color.
“How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?” the film poses.
While the imagery — Klan robes, confederate flags, and the young white people recruited into these belief systems — is jarring, Davis’ bravery and sincerity is beyond compelling .
Watch the trailer above. “Accidental Courtesy” makes its world premiere on Monday, March 14, at SXSW.