Feel the Fire

A cautionary tale of the many facets of racism and its changing faces, spanning from the early 1960s in Mississippi to modern times. Feel the Fire explores the effects of racism on the lives of two men, Porter Hurst and Samuel Hunter, and the community surrounding them. When a known racist is killed by two men, Porter becomes the subject of a manhunt by a lynch mob believing he was involved. He flees town with his newborn son, Ben. Twelve years later in Restless Ridge, tragedy strikes again when Ben is murdered by two white boys. Porter takes revenge and becomes a fugitive, and when he settles in Zanesville, he finds a new family and shares his past. However, he ends back in Restless Ridge to stand trial. Samuel Weist tried to escape his past by changing his name to Samuel Hunter. Since the night Porter spared his life, Samuel tries to make amends for the mistakes of his youth by becoming a lawyer and providing services for those who cannot afford representation. When he discovers that Porter has been arrested, he visits the jailhouse and confesses to Porter about his part in Ben’s death. Samuel begs Porter to forgive him—and he does. The city erupts when Porter is sentenced to death. Samuel is caught in the riot and is nearly killed. Lying in the hospital, he is pronounced dead, but he comes back to life as a modern-day miracle. In death he sees his life in a new light and decides that the only way that he can atone for his deeds is to face the truth. From the 1960s to modern day, racism has continued to ravage America—Nane Quartay captures the devastating effects of each racist action in Feel the Fire.