Part of PBS’ Black History Month programming is the INDEPENDENT LENS documentary premiere “Accidental Courtesy” which is set to premiere tonight, Monday, February 13, 10-11:30 p.m. ET.

Produced and directed by Matt Ornstein, “Accidental Courtesy” introduces audiences to African American musician Daryl Davis, who has a peculiar passion — meeting and befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to change their minds and forge racial conciliation.

Via PBS… Daryl Davis is an accomplished musician, a piano player who has played all over the world with legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. He also has an unusual and controversial hobby: Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the KKK, many of whom have never met a black person. When some of these same people decide to leave the Klan, Daryl keeps their robes and hoods — building his collection piece by piece, story by story, person by person. In “Accidental Courtesy,” Daryl takes the viewer on a journey from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to Memphis, from Alabama to Ferguson, Missouri, as he recounts the entwined history of black America and popular music. Along the way, the viewer is invited to sit in as he questions several current and former Klan leaders as well as young Black Lives Matter activists who vehemently disagree with his tactics. For the last two decades, Daryl has reached out to Klan members and even formed lasting friendships along the way.

“Accidental Courtesy” is the portrait of a man who has spent a lifetime pursuing an answer to the question, “How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?”

Sure to generate much discussion after it’s seen widely next month, “Accidental Courtesy” toured the film festival circuit throughout 2016, picking up awards and inspiring conversation along the way. Watch it on PBS as part of the INDEPENDENT LENS documentary series, tonight, Monday, February 13, 10-11:30 p.m. ET.

Watch a trailer for “Accidental Courtesy” below:

Accidental Courtesy

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