0:00:02 > 0:00:04Miriam Margolyes is now six weeks and over 500 miles
0:00:04 > 0:00:07into her Big American Adventure.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- DONALD TRUMP:- We're going to build the wall.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15We have no choice. We have no choice.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17CHEERING
0:00:17 > 0:00:22Build that wall. Build that wall. Build that wall! Build that wall!
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'm from the generation that has always looked up to America.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Build that wall! Build that wall!
0:00:28 > 0:00:30They saved us in the War,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33they're strong and handsome, they're democratic,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36and, you know, I bought the American Dream,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38same as everybody else.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41So, we're going to build it.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Who's going to pay for the wall? - CROWD:- Mexico!
0:00:44 > 0:00:46100%.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50And so when I learnt that they had chosen Mr Trump,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I had to find out what happened.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56And I thought the way to try to understand it
0:00:56 > 0:00:59is actually go there and talk to the people.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And I wanted to find out how divided
0:01:03 > 0:01:08the United States of America really is.
0:01:10 > 0:01:1376-year-old actress Miriam Margolyes
0:01:13 > 0:01:15is on an epic two-month road trip
0:01:15 > 0:01:17down the middle of Middle America.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21She's over halfway through her journey
0:01:21 > 0:01:22through the American heartland,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25heading for the Deep South of New Orleans.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27A former US resident,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Miriam's been discovering the America she doesn't know
0:01:31 > 0:01:33and meeting people whose voices and votes
0:01:33 > 0:01:36are changing the shape of the country.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50The enormity of America does still surprise me.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53It's a big old place.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57It makes people very different in different places.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Miriam has arrived in Arkansas,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03one of the states immortalised by the Hollywood western.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This is frontier territory -
0:02:07 > 0:02:11a land claimed by and ruled by cowboys for 200 years.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Ooh, we're coming into a ranch.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Eek! That's fun.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Arkansas is home to the so-called Forgotten Americans
0:02:21 > 0:02:24that turned to Trump in the last election.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Miriam is about to meet her first-ever cowboy.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36What images come to mind when you think of cowboys?
0:02:36 > 0:02:40A cowboy is a very clear image etched against the sun,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43crinkly blue eyes, astride a horse,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48one-handedly kissing a woman round the waist and...
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Very sexy, very powerful, very confident in their own world.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- Hello.- How are you? - I'm Miriam.- I'm Dan Eoff.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- Very pleased to meet you, sir. - Well, nice to meet you.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01- Oh, man!- This is some Italian champagne...
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- I've never had that before. - ..from Europe.- From Europe?
0:03:04 > 0:03:09- Europe.- I saw that on Facebook, but I've never been to Europe.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15- Come over.- OK. What a lovely place. It's so peaceful.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- What are all these things? - Oh, these are spurs.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21The western spurs, like we use on horses.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26My great-grandfather had them back in the early 1800s.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Time past. Yeah.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30- AMERICAN ACCENT:- Now, don't you put the flag on the ground.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- Oh, man! I didn't see that. - That's Old Glory.- Yes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35You got a man?
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- A man?- Are you married? - No, I'm a lesbian.- Are you sure?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- HE LAUGHS - I am! Could you become one?
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I like to feel the titties, I like to do all that.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Well, we all like titties, darling. That's something we share!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51THEY LAUGH
0:03:55 > 0:03:58We got really closely acquainted rather quickly, didn't we?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- So, you have met a Jew before? - Yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05But you'd just never met a lesbian Jew before.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- Oh, my God! - THEY LAUGH
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- Are you Jewish?- Of course I am. My name's Miriam.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- That's a Jewish name.- Well, I mean, you know, I'm not educated.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- Yeah. Are you a Christian? - Yes, I... Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26We've come from Chicago down here, so I've been in cities.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28- This is really country here. - Yes, it is.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- And I think people think differently in the country.- They do.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- You could tell how we voted. - Why do you think that is?
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Why do you think that country people feel that Trump was their man?
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- Because he's a city boy. He's not a country boy.- No, but he's a...
0:04:41 > 0:04:43- DOG SNEEZES - Hey!
0:04:43 > 0:04:48But he's an entrepreneur. He works. He works every day for a living.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- I mean, he's part of us. - It's so funny that you say that
0:04:50 > 0:04:56because, to me, he's absolutely the quintessential financier.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I don't understand what them words are.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Well, he's a man who makes money by buying and selling...
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Yes, that's us.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06That's us cow traders. That's us horse-traders.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09- And do most of the folk round here think the way you think?- Yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Oh, in the heartland of the United States, yes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16The people that work... The people that work do.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Ooh, I like this.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Dan is just a complete charmer.
0:05:22 > 0:05:28He's just totally naughty and fun and...
0:05:28 > 0:05:32I know that he loves Trump and all that, but...
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And I'm not going to change his mind,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but I want to find out a bit more about why.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Peggy's the wife, isn't she? I haven't met her yet.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I'm a bit nervous about her.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I've put some perfume on. I'm ready!
0:05:46 > 0:05:47Thanks for letting us come and see you.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- So nice to meet you. - I'm Miriam.- Peggy.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- So nice. So nice. - What a lovely house.- Thank you.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I'm sure we don't share the same taste about everything,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01- but I'm going to perch on this chair.- You go ahead.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- You go right ahead.- Nice and comfy.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08My life and my world is completely different from yours.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10I know that because, you know, I'm a city girl.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14And I know that my politics are very different
0:06:14 > 0:06:18from the politics that people will have around here.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I'm going to go out on a limb,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24and I'd say nearly everyone voted for Mr Trump.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29He knows what's going on. A lot of people don't like him,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31they don't like his tweeting and stuff,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33but he kind of tells it like it is.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35What about the stuff about women -
0:06:35 > 0:06:39when he talks about women in a slightly funny way?
0:06:39 > 0:06:44You know, I have worked around men for 20-something years.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45They're all like that.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- I don't like it in a president. - Well, he's just a person.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- God uses imperfect people. - So, you don't...?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- That doesn't bother you? - Does not bother me a bit.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57People have gotten so politically correct.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59You're not supposed to spank your kids, you know.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Our country was founded on people like Dan and me
0:07:03 > 0:07:06that got up and went to work every day.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08You know, they left England because
0:07:08 > 0:07:10they didn't want people telling them what to do.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11So, they come over here
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and they make the best country in the whole world.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18And then you have someone like Obama that says,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20"We're going to make everybody even."
0:07:20 > 0:07:21Well, that's not right.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23If you don't get up and go to work every day,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26why should you have all the benefits that I do?
0:07:26 > 0:07:29You don't think that there could be any improvements?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Oh, there's always room for improvement,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and I think that's what Mr Trump's going to do.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I think he's going to improve our country,
0:07:36 > 0:07:41because he's going to go back to the fact - America first.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46You put your family first before you take care of anybody else.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Cool breeze coming through.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52We all need dreams. We all need some hope.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57I think that's part of why President Trump is so popular.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02The people on the rough end - he's given them hope.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04They feel that he's heard their voice.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07He speaks to them in a way that they can understand
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and he has allowed them to dream again.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Trump says, "Follow me
0:08:13 > 0:08:17"and I will lead you to the promised land."
0:08:17 > 0:08:18And they believe him.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28In the local town of Clinton, Dan and Peggy run a shop
0:08:28 > 0:08:31selling western-themed furniture and collectables.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35A lot of their products are made in and imported from Mexico.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Miriam has offered to help out.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43This is what you call a compendium of cowboy identity.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45It's sort of set in the past, isn't it,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49in a kind of vision of what it was?
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Hello! So, what's my task?
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Your task is to straighten up those boots.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Most of our men don't like the fancy boots.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03- They are fancy, aren't they? Gosh! Where...?- They come from Mexico.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07So, what do you think about the wall, then?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- Do you think it's a good idea?- I do.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I think it... I think you need...
0:09:13 > 0:09:17It's just kind of like doors on your house.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It's to keep your family safe.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I feel like, once the wall is built,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28manufacturing comes back to America more,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30more people are working,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32more people will be building second houses,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35they'll come back and buy some more furniture.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- And all that will come because of the wall?- Well, it could.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44I just think that building a wall is going to cost a lot of money
0:09:44 > 0:09:46for somebody that could be better spent.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Well, just think of all the people this is going to put to work.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50But who's going to pay for it?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Well, Mexico's going to pay for it. Don't you know that?- But they won't.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- Donald Trump says... - Yeah, but you know they won't.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- You know they're not going to pay for it.- Well, I...
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I think it's going to just cause more trouble
0:10:00 > 0:10:03than it's going to solve. But I don't know. I may be wrong.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09You know, I didn't realise this country was so divided
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- until they elected him president. - I didn't either.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18And the liberals started riding and destroying cities and...
0:10:18 > 0:10:20You know, we didn't like Obama,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23but we didn't go out and destroy somebody's business
0:10:23 > 0:10:25because he was president.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29What is the America that you want? What would you like to see?
0:10:29 > 0:10:33When you work and your word is good, you're rewarded for it.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I mean, you can make a living
0:10:35 > 0:10:40and not have to send half your pay cheque to the government
0:10:40 > 0:10:45to use on some ridiculous bill that they're passing.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47The hand-outs. We do the work
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and we share our work. We don't want that.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57But do you think, sometimes, that people can fall on hard times,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59things get difficult and that's why
0:10:59 > 0:11:04- they need food stamps and a hand-out?- No, no.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- I believe it's about choice. - It is.- Poverty is about choice.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11But the message that he gives you is what?
0:11:11 > 0:11:13What is it that he's saying to you
0:11:13 > 0:11:15that makes you feel that he's the man for the job?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17We tried everything else,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19and I like to see a guy that gets rich
0:11:19 > 0:11:20and then goes into government,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23instead of a guy that goes into government and comes out rich.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- I like that.- That's a good point. That's a good point right there.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33We're going up to see the cattle that made America great.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Well, I think he could have warned me
0:11:38 > 0:11:40that it was going to be a bit bumpy.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Look how fast he's going on this narrow road. Outrageous!
0:11:45 > 0:11:47SHE LAUGHS
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I'm an old lady. I shouldn't be doing this!
0:11:52 > 0:11:53Well, I feel 80 now.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I've aged four years coming up this far!
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Oh, now I see it, where we're going.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It's like a nice lookout point.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10That's a wonderful view,
0:12:10 > 0:12:14and a very nice, tidy little place awaits us.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17You lucky sod. This is fantastic!
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Somebody asked me one time, said, "What about selling the ranch?"
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I said, "You wouldn't sell your children, would you?"
0:12:23 > 0:12:24The ranch is our children.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27We've cleaned it up. We nurse it every year.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28I mean, you can't sell that.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31This is your land and it's part of you always.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- It is part of me. - And what breed are those cattle?
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Those are Texas longhorns.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Can you call the cattle so that we can get them a bit closer?
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Well, I can call them a little ways,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44but, now, I think they might be scared of you.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47They've never seen anybody from that part of the country!
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- SHE LAUGHS - But I'll try to.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Come on!
0:12:55 > 0:12:57They are going, aren't they?
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Sometimes, in life, you get...
0:13:01 > 0:13:07..what, these days, are called wow moments.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11And for me, I think this is a wow moment.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And I understand the connection to the land.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I understand why they love it so much.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19They feel powerful here.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23And if they feel that Mr Trump
0:13:23 > 0:13:28means to let them reign on this land forever...
0:13:29 > 0:13:33..I can understand why they support him.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Jeez!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Whoo! Come on!
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- AMERICAN ACCENT: - Don't you look at me like that!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47This must really heal your heart.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- I love these old cows. - Yeah, I can imagine that.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53You know, we're just caretakers of this land while we're here,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and I want to share it.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00My neighbours and relatives and Jesus Christ - they're all welcome.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I just have this feeling that Donald Trump
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- doesn't want to share it. - Oh, I think he does.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Well, we'll see. - Me and wife always didn't agree,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11me and my mother always didn't agree,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14- but we still loved each other. - Yes, well,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17I can love you and respect you.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21I just don't agree with you. That's it.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It is remarkable,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but I don't know if I could actually live here.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28It is lonely.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32And if you can imagine a wall being built here
0:14:32 > 0:14:38across everything you can see, cos that's what it would be like...
0:14:39 > 0:14:42..it doesn't clop, as they say in Holland.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It doesn't... It doesn't fit.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I can't work it out.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Miriam's back on the road towards New Orleans.
0:15:01 > 0:15:0520 miles on, still in Arkansas, there's a sign.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Blimey! That is horrible.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Very nasty sign to come to.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24"Diversity is a code word for #whitegenocide."
0:15:24 > 0:15:28What a horrible, pathetic,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32silly, nasty sign.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Blimey!
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Well, I'll have to go and find out
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and see what kind of people the townspeople are like.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Very nasty.
0:15:43 > 0:15:44Right.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49I think that the Southern states are the front line.
0:15:49 > 0:15:55That's where racism was rampant, encouraged,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59and where it won for many, many years.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Much of the wealth in the South was built on slavery
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and the cotton and tobacco plantations
0:16:05 > 0:16:07the slaves were forced to work.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12150 years on from the abolition of slavery,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Arkansas has one of the highest concentrations
0:16:14 > 0:16:18of extreme race-hate groups in the US,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and the small Arkansas town of Harrison
0:16:20 > 0:16:23has been dubbed the most racist town in America.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28You can't judge a town on the basis of one sign.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31I'm just surprised that people haven't taken it down.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36But, you know, they believe in free speech in America.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38But it's just like any other little town.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43It's got ordinary shops and malls and restaurants.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48I'm sure there are some racists here, lurking.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I'm aware of the fact that it has the reputation
0:16:56 > 0:16:59of being the most racist town in America,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03so I thought I'd like to go to the library
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and see if they've got some information.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12And here we are.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Harrison, Arkansas.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22And there it is, with the famous
0:17:22 > 0:17:24two eyes and the hood.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29The Ku Klux Klan has a base just outside Harrison.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Miriam has asked to meet them and other alt-right groups in the area.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39While she waits for them to respond, she's got a meeting with the mayor.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Hello.- Well, hello.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- Can I come in?- Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.- Thank you.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Thank you very much. I'm Miriam Margolyes.
0:17:48 > 0:17:54- Miriam, Dan Sherrell. - So, your town has been described
0:17:54 > 0:17:58as the most racist town in America.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02So, I'm hoping that you're not the most racist mayor in America.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- You think I am? - I don't think you are...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- No, I'm not. - ..because you've got a sweet face.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08Believe it or not,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11is that some of the things that we face here in Harrison?
0:18:11 > 0:18:13- Yes, we do.- Why is that?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Well, it's from a group outside of our city.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I'll just put it bluntly - it's the KKK.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20That's where that image comes from.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25But you're going to find that 99.9% of the people
0:18:25 > 0:18:28do not agree with their thinking whatsoever.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We're a very, very friendly town.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And is that one of the things that you, as the mayor,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37feel that you want to make clear to people?
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- Yes, ma'am.- That it's not a racist town?- Yes, ma'am.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Harrison is the greatest town in the world.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- You love it?- I love it, you know,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47and people here, we're hard-working people.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Most people go to church or, you know, are God-fearing people.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53They raise their families and their own life here.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Do you think America is divided at the moment?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Yes, I do, but I don't...
0:18:59 > 0:19:03You know, can you say the last election caused it?
0:19:03 > 0:19:07No, it probably was coming anyway, believe it or not.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09So, this is your main square?
0:19:09 > 0:19:11This is the main square in town, yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13And a lot of things...
0:19:13 > 0:19:15We've got a farmers' market going on down here.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I mean, I haven't seen much of it, but just driving in,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22it's quite a sweet, pretty little town.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25For the first half of the 20th century,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29this part of Arkansas fought to keep racial segregation in place.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Do you remember segregation?
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I cannot remember when a black person had to go
0:19:34 > 0:19:37to this rest room and a white person had to go to this rest room.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41I knew it was there, but I was not familiar with it.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46- No.- Did your parents bring you up to be inclusive? I mean...
0:19:46 > 0:19:50My parents brought me up to be who I am,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and they taught me to be open, cos they were open.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Does it irritate you that people describe your town
0:19:58 > 0:20:00as the most bigoted...
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- ..in America?- Yeah, it does.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07It irritates our town and it irritates me, too.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11We have a man near here that has some affiliation
0:20:11 > 0:20:14with the old Ku Klux Klan, so that's bad news.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18But, honestly, I don't think that we're, by any means,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23any more racist than the average town in this state or even up north.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I'm not sure that America is particularly
0:20:26 > 0:20:29a United States at the moment. What do you feel about that?
0:20:29 > 0:20:32No, we're very polarised right now,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35and especially since President Obama came in.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Now, there will always be a small element of people
0:20:38 > 0:20:42that are going to be continually oppressive
0:20:42 > 0:20:46and antagonistic toward the African-Americans,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and it's just down deep in DNA, it looks like.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52But that's going to change. We are coming together.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54It's going to take a little more time,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56but we're coming together.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00We're all, to some extent, trapped by our history.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And to some extent, I think there are places where
0:21:03 > 0:21:05the Civil War is still being fought
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and Confederate flags are still flown,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11but things are moving.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17After talking to these people, I'm optimistic.
0:21:18 > 0:21:25I don't know what I will feel when I talk to the KKK.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28The spokeswoman for the KKK has sent an e-mail.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33I felt that I ought to give the people who don't agree with me
0:21:33 > 0:21:37a chance to speak, and they've turned it down.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42Maybe they're afraid of me and my scintillating intellect.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47I don't know what it is, but they don't want to speak,
0:21:47 > 0:21:48they don't want to be heard,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52they don't want to put their case on television.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Well, bugger 'em.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00The town of Harrison is less than 1% black.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03It hasn't always been that high.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07In the 1970s, Kevin applied for a job as a ranger
0:22:07 > 0:22:10in a local nature reserve. As a mixed-race man,
0:22:10 > 0:22:15he's been a witness to the division in Harrison ever since.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I really actually did not know about its reputation,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21but as I accepted the job, she was trying to say, "Now, wait, wait.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24"I got to let you know - you will be the only black person
0:22:24 > 0:22:25"in a 50-mile radius."
0:22:25 > 0:22:30And I came to find out that there actually were death threats,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32saying that, "Oh, we're going to kill him,"
0:22:32 > 0:22:34or, you know, "He won't last long." Stuff like that.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36No-one told me these things.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39- I bet they didn't!- No-one told me there were death threats against me.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43I mean, did you meet people who were personally unpleasant to you?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46There were times when I was introduced
0:22:46 > 0:22:49that, you know, a person would not stick out their hand.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53And there was one time my tyres were slashed.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55But rather than be scared and run off,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59I just kind of adopted it as an opportunity to say, you know,
0:22:59 > 0:23:00"I could serve a purpose here.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03"I can give them a chance to meet a black person."
0:23:03 > 0:23:06You're not the blackest of black men that I've ever seen.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- That's right.- Does that make a difference, do you think?
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Oh, most definitely. In America, in general, it's...
0:23:13 > 0:23:16You cannot deny that the darker your skin,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19the harder it will be for you.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- REPORTER:- Well, the latest figures show that hate crime
0:23:22 > 0:23:24in America is skyrocketing.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- REPORTER:- The rise of racially motivated attacks
0:23:26 > 0:23:28has been a trend in the United States
0:23:28 > 0:23:30since the 2016 presidential election.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Since Trump became president,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36the number of hate groups in America has increased.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40There's been a surge of memberships in some of these organisations,
0:23:40 > 0:23:46and it tends to embarrass us to think that we haven't moved,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49you know, forward as much as we hoped we had.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Do you think Trump has made the divisions worse?
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- I respect the position of the presidency.- Of course.
0:23:57 > 0:24:03I do have to recognise, however, that, soon after his election,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07it seemed to have given some people a little empowerment
0:24:07 > 0:24:10in being able to speak opinions
0:24:10 > 0:24:13that are less than accepting of others.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15But it doesn't matter who brings it out.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Our concern is that this opinion has been in folks
0:24:19 > 0:24:21who have joined these groups.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24You know, it's not the best image that we, as Americans,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27want to have with the rest of the world -
0:24:27 > 0:24:31to see more and more... a divide amongst our people.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39One of the local alt-right groups, the Kingdom Identity Ministries,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42has been in touch. Their leader, Pastor Mike Hallimore,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44is considering meeting Miriam.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47"I look forward to speaking further with you in the future.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49"In the meantime, I would be interested
0:24:49 > 0:24:52"in the religious background of you, Miriam,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56"and others involved in this production.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00"Also, are any not of British/European
0:25:00 > 0:25:03"ethnic/racial make-up?"
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Can you believe it?!
0:25:09 > 0:25:11"Sincerely, Mike."
0:25:13 > 0:25:17We're on the way to a strange assignation
0:25:17 > 0:25:21with this right-wing twit.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22He doesn't like Jews -
0:25:22 > 0:25:28he thinks that we are Satanic - and...
0:25:29 > 0:25:31..so he wouldn't meet me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33He wouldn't consider it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37So, we have to do it a slightly different way.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43A hotel boardroom has been hired. Miriam waits in the car.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47My colleague, Nicola, and my director
0:25:47 > 0:25:51are in the room with headsets.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53And I can feed the questions to her.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I'm not there because they wouldn't speak to me, because I'm a Jew.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01How do you think that makes me feel?
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Pastor, good afternoon. - Hello. Where should we sit?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Come join us here.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I do feel nervous. I feel upset.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19I mean, I read one of the pieces of literature that they put out,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and they want to kill Jews.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And not just Jews, but homosexuals.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- I'm a homosexual and I'm a Jew. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:26:28 > 0:26:32- So, shall we go for our first question?- Sure.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Do you think America is united or divided?
0:26:35 > 0:26:39Do you think America is united or divided?
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Oh, it's definitely divided,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45although I think it would be more united
0:26:45 > 0:26:49if it were purely white Christian people.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55A lot of the division comes because of the Jewish-owned media.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58So, are the Jews the fount of all evil?
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Are the Jews, then, the fount of all evil?
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Well, Scripture says love of money
0:27:04 > 0:27:06is the root of all evil, but...
0:27:08 > 0:27:12..they certainly are behind what people believe is evil -
0:27:12 > 0:27:14the banking system, you might say...pornography,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16you might say...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18So, how would he like America to change?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21How would you like America to change?
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Well, obviously, I'd like it to change
0:27:24 > 0:27:30to be a godly country that enforces God's laws.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31What would he do with the Jews
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and the Afro-American people, if he could?
0:27:34 > 0:27:35What would he do with them?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38What would you do with the Jews and the Afro-Americans?
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Well, I would send everyone back,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43whether it's Africa for the blacks...
0:27:43 > 0:27:48The Jews, I would gather them up
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and put them on an island
0:27:50 > 0:27:54where they couldn't do any harm, such as...
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I know, in the past, Madagascar has been suggested.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And, of course, I would castrate the males
0:28:00 > 0:28:04and have the females, you know,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07with hysterectomies so they couldn't reproduce.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Miriam has decided she's not prepared to listen to any more.
0:28:16 > 0:28:17I've had enough.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22The crew are worried about what might happen
0:28:22 > 0:28:27if she meets Pastor Mike. They send her back to the car.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31I don't think there's any point in refuting what he says
0:28:31 > 0:28:37because it's total bollocks from start to finish.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41And to think that a grown-up is using the Bible
0:28:41 > 0:28:45and quoting the Bible to purvey such...
0:28:46 > 0:28:50..misguided, ridiculous concepts...
0:28:52 > 0:28:53It was disgusting.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56I'm glad I wasn't in the room with him, actually,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58because I think I might have...
0:28:59 > 0:29:01..behaved in an unseemly way.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10That was a vision into hell, frankly.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14But I've got to not let that poisonous invective,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17that hateful non-Christian
0:29:17 > 0:29:20blind me into what's good here.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25I'm not going to let one bad apple infect the whole bunch.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Miriam's heading 180 miles south into Texas,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34one of the most religious states in the country.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38Here, almost 80% of adults are Christian.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43America is a religious country - churches all over,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45and millions of people do believe in God,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47and I don't.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49And I guess I have to get onto that wavelength
0:29:49 > 0:29:52because if I'm to understand America,
0:29:52 > 0:29:58I've got to widen my own perceptions.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Miriam's in Tyler City, East Texas,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05to stay with devout Christian Dr Doug Flanders,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08his wife Jennifer, and their 12 children.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12- I think I'll just fart. - SHE FARTS
0:30:12 > 0:30:14That's better.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- Hello, hello! How are you? - Hello. I'm Miriam Margolyes.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22- Hi, Miriam. I'm Jennifer. - Jennifer, hi.- So good to meet you.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- And Doug Flanders.- Doug, how do you do?- Nice to meet you, Miriam.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27- What a lovely house.- Please come in.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29- I farted just before I came in. - JENNIFER LAUGHS
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Well, I'm glad it was on the porch and not in the house.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34I thought, "I'm not going to fart as soon as I come in."
0:30:34 > 0:30:36So, I'm just looking at this.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41"Whether then you eat or drink... do all to the glory of God."
0:30:41 > 0:30:44We've had that in every house that we've, you know, ever owned.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46That's kind of been our motto.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49- Two people have suddenly appeared. - Yes.- Yes.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52- These are two of our daughters. - Hello. You've got 12 children.- Yes.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- You've been busy! - We have been busy. Yes, yes.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57Gosh, you've got so many photographs.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I notice another homily.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02"Children are a blessing from the Lord.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07"Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them."
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Did you know you were going to have lots of children?
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Well, none of us know that,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14but I knew I wanted lots of children.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16In fact, when guys would ask me out,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19I wanted to know their plans for family down the way
0:31:19 > 0:31:22before I would accept a date, because, as a Christian,
0:31:22 > 0:31:27I believe that the husband leads and the wife submits and...
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- What?!- Yes, I do, Miriam. I'm sorry. So, erm...
0:31:30 > 0:31:33So, I just wanted to make that job as easy as I could.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Horses for courses, it's not for me.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I'm not going to submit to anybody,
0:31:39 > 0:31:42man or woman, if I don't think it's a good thing.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46And I'm not sure I like hierarchy in any way.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50I like the rule of law, and that I will submit to.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52It was important for me to learn how to cut hair
0:31:52 > 0:31:56because I wanted to get married and have a lot of kids
0:31:56 > 0:32:00and I knew it would save us money. I think, last calculation,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04I think I've saved us about 38,000, if you count all the...
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- We actually added it up at one point.- Yes, added it up.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12- I was brought up in a Jewish home... - Right.- ..but I lost my faith.
0:32:12 > 0:32:18Do you allow people to be doubters and to be like me...
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- Absolutely.- ..who don't accept it? - Absolutely.- We're allowed?
0:32:21 > 0:32:23You're allowed to do that. Yes, absolutely.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25- It's expected. - Oh, well, that's good.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28- It's almost like... - And supposing one of them was gay -
0:32:28 > 0:32:32- how would you deal with that? - Well, we'd love them the same as...
0:32:32 > 0:32:36- Oh. So, that's not a sin? - Well, it's a sin.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38- THEY LAUGH - There's, I mean...
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Well, it would break my heart.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44But not any more than it would break my heart for
0:32:44 > 0:32:47one of my married sons to cheat on his wife.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51So, you'd like to see America a completely Christian country?
0:32:51 > 0:32:56We would like to see all 7.5 billion people on the planet come to Christ,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59only because we believe God really exists
0:32:59 > 0:33:01and that he wants to have a relationship with every person
0:33:01 > 0:33:05of every race, and, you know, language across the planet.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07It doesn't matter what we want,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10because it's only God that can change hearts.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12That's what we believe.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17And I am also convinced that he can give you that faith
0:33:17 > 0:33:19if that's something that you want, you know?
0:33:19 > 0:33:24- Well, you know I don't want it because I'm happy the way I am.- Yes.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Well, it's very comforting if you know you're right...
0:33:29 > 0:33:31..and they know they're right.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33They don't have any doubts at all,
0:33:33 > 0:33:40and they've cemented that within their huge family.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45This is James Michael Flanders, and he's the seventh grandkid.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48- And your first.- Yes, our first. - My first. Oh, yeah.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- That's the important part. - Dear God, thank you so much
0:33:51 > 0:33:54for the blessing of James Michael.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58I pray that, no matter what happens in this life,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00the most important thing is that he comes to know you
0:34:00 > 0:34:03and that he's receptive. Amen.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06I just can't hold babies. It's just something I can't do.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08- HE LAUGHS - Aw.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11- We can do half and half. - I'd be just so terrified.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14You can't miss out. You're too close.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19- So sweet.- Oh, look at that. - Who can resist?
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Oh, my goodness. Look at that. Got him all by yourself now.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24You have to admit, that's sweeter than a puppy.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- Oh, I think it's very sweet. - Oh, my goodness.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32- It's just I'm a little bit alarmed. - Oh, no. Look how beautiful.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36I just think - get him educated properly,
0:34:36 > 0:34:37and no sugar.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- THEY LAUGH - There.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Doug and Jennifer follow a Christian movement
0:34:44 > 0:34:47that believes all children are a blessing from God.
0:34:47 > 0:34:48The more they have,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50the more blessed they'll be.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54We have a little sign that Jennifer made for me that just says,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57"Do not disturb. Mom and Dad are at it again."
0:34:57 > 0:34:58And we literally hang it...
0:34:58 > 0:35:00We latch the latch, so they know immediately, like,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03"Oh, don't knock on the door. Don't shout," you know.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06- So, erm... - HE LAUGHS
0:35:06 > 0:35:07Blimey!
0:35:07 > 0:35:13- I think we've shocked Miriam! - Oh, definitely.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16I am bereft of words.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Oh, well, there's nowt so queer as folk.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20BOTH LAUGH
0:35:20 > 0:35:24- Go over there in that corner. - Do you want me to go...?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- Well, how am I going to...?- OK.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30- You've got to go right through. Go backwards more.- OK.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- No, taut, taut.- OK, OK!
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Oh, you're just teaching me a whole new way to do things.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38- We don't want it dipping. - There we go. There we go.- There.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40- But that's the way to do it. - I see that.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- I'm surprised I have to teach YOU that!- I know!
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Well, I'm used to not having a partner fold with me.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Do you think that it's absolutely essential to have children?
0:35:49 > 0:35:52That procreation is a holy duty?
0:35:52 > 0:35:54You may not like the word duty,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56but that passage in First Corinthians
0:35:56 > 0:36:00talking about not denying your spouse
0:36:00 > 0:36:05definitely makes it clear that that is something that is expected,
0:36:05 > 0:36:06both of husband and wife -
0:36:06 > 0:36:10- that they have that intimacy together.- But just a second,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13you don't mean that you can't say no to your husband, do you?
0:36:13 > 0:36:18I don't mean that, but I mean that you oughtn't to say no
0:36:18 > 0:36:19on a regular basis.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23Like, if you are continually pushing your husband away,
0:36:23 > 0:36:25that's not good for the marriage.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30Don't marginalise something that is extremely important to your husband.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32- Sex is important.- Yes.
0:36:32 > 0:36:38And I think that it's wonderful and fun.
0:36:38 > 0:36:39- Yes.- I mean, I'm speaking from memory
0:36:39 > 0:36:43because my partner and I, we don't have the sort of sex
0:36:43 > 0:36:44- we used to when we were young.- Yes.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- But we love each other and we cuddle and that sort of thing.- Yes.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52- But I can't quite tie it up with a religious duty.- Mm.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I think it comes out of the love.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Doug and Jennifer are among a rising number of parents
0:36:59 > 0:37:02who have removed their children from mainstream education.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07Over 1.5 million American children are currently being home-schooled,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10the majority Christians who think their religious beliefs
0:37:10 > 0:37:12are being ignored.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Do you believe in creationism?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16I definitely believe in creationism, yes.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19So, you don't count any of the science
0:37:19 > 0:37:22that says that the Earth is, you know,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25billions of years old or whatever?
0:37:25 > 0:37:28- I don't.- You just ignore that? You think it's wrong?
0:37:28 > 0:37:31It's not that I want them to never know that
0:37:31 > 0:37:34that theory is out there, although I...
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Theory is really too strong a word.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40I really think there's not enough evidence to even call it a theory.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42I think it's still a hypothesis.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45And this idea that monkeys turned into people -
0:37:45 > 0:37:46that is science fiction.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51I totally reject that, and I worry about it
0:37:51 > 0:37:56because I think that it's turning back knowledge.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02They are a real-life Walton family.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07They've instilled in them a sense of love,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10a great security, great affection.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13You can't fault it.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16And I've tried, but I can't.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20I just wish that they would teach them
0:38:20 > 0:38:23the realities of evolution.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26My principle allegiance is to the human race,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28and I'm just always a bit nervous
0:38:28 > 0:38:31about people belonging to lots of different teams
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- and feeling their team is better than the other team.- Oh.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37That's why I was very distressed
0:38:37 > 0:38:41when Mr Trump said, "America first. America first."
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I think that also may be like when you're on the aeroplane,
0:38:44 > 0:38:47they tell the parents to put the mask on yourself
0:38:47 > 0:38:49before you try to put it on the child,
0:38:49 > 0:38:52because if you pass out before you get it,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54neither one of you will make it.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Right now, America has a lot of inner problems.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58We have become a very divided nation.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Do you feel that - that it's a divided nation?
0:39:00 > 0:39:04Yes, I do. I think that there is a big division.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Some viewpoints are being squeezed out,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10where people do not even want to hear them. They...
0:39:10 > 0:39:12You know, if you believe, as we do,
0:39:12 > 0:39:17we're told in the classroom to just sit down and be quiet
0:39:17 > 0:39:20because you don't have anything to contribute,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22because you've proven that you're ignorant,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25because you believe there's a God, and we've moved beyond that.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27We need to get back to a place
0:39:27 > 0:39:31where we can discuss those issues respectfully.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34Do you feel, from being with us, that we're narrow-minded?
0:39:34 > 0:39:37No, I don't. I think you're uni-minded,
0:39:37 > 0:39:42because your inspiration
0:39:42 > 0:39:47and your certainty comes from your belief in Jesus and God.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Yes.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53And I respect it from afar.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56- Yes.- I just think it's totally bananas.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58- You know?- Yes. - I just think it's wrong.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Have I made you cry?
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I didn't mean to make you cry, cos that's horrible of me.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- Well, it's... - I'm just sad because I know that...
0:40:08 > 0:40:13Because I'm blinded and I don't see the truth?
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- Yeah.- You know, goodness, I believe in,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17and I can see that you're good
0:40:17 > 0:40:21and I totally acknowledge and respect that.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Whatever goodness you see in our life is because of God,
0:40:24 > 0:40:27not anything else, Miriam.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Well, I respect it as a faith,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35but it's not my faith, and you have to just...
0:40:36 > 0:40:40- You know? Without Christ, I'm OK.- I know.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47I fell in love with the whole family.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51And it just shows how extraordinary life is -
0:40:51 > 0:40:54that you can meet people...
0:40:56 > 0:40:58..with whom you have very little in common...
0:40:59 > 0:41:03..and yet feel completely delighted by them.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07But we're in this very strange country.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11America is an extraordinary country,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14full of the most ridiculous conundrums
0:41:14 > 0:41:19and places where reason seems to have gone out the window.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22And I can't keep up with America.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27It's, it's defeating me. It's puzzling me.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29It's puzzling the shit out of me, actually.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33On her way through the south of Texas,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Miriam's stopping off in the city of Beaumont.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Here, at the same time Texas voted for Trump to be president,
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Beaumont voted for their new sheriff.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45Her name is Zena,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49and she's Texas's first-ever black female sheriff.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I don't know what she's going to be like,
0:41:53 > 0:41:58but I know she was elected, just like Trump was elected.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01And she's completely different, apparently,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05from the man who was in her job before, for 20 years.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- THUNDER RUMBLES - Ooh, storms.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Storms ahead, perhaps.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14A political science graduate,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Zena served for 17 years in the local sheriff's office
0:42:17 > 0:42:20before standing for election as sheriff herself.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Her aim? To unite the community.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- Hi! Come on in. - So pleased to meet you.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- I'm a hugger. Can I hug you? - No, not the first time.- OK.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33I never let people come too near the first time.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- OK.- And then, after that, they can't get me away.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- All right, so let's hurry up and get to the second time, OK?- OK!
0:42:39 > 0:42:41- Come on in.- Thank you.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44- Come on into my office. - So, this is your kingdom in here?
0:42:44 > 0:42:47This is the sheriff's department. Come on in.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Nice and comfy.- Yeah.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54- So, you're a black woman sheriff.- Yes.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59And one of those feels very odd, and that's the sheriff bit.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02Yes. I didn't do it because I wanted to be the first.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04I did it because I wanted to be a good cop
0:43:04 > 0:43:06and change some things that I saw going on in the community.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- Did you have much opposition?- Yes.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11They shot at my campaign headquarters in the primary.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14Some person drove by, I was standing outside,
0:43:14 > 0:43:15and yelled the N word and shot at me.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19And so I still understand that we live in the South
0:43:19 > 0:43:21and there are people that would be opposed
0:43:21 > 0:43:24- to me running for this office.- My God!
0:43:24 > 0:43:25So, you and Trump came together, did you?
0:43:25 > 0:43:29- Isn't that crazy?- It is a bit! - And I think one of the reasons
0:43:29 > 0:43:33that happened is I think people were ready for change, and we both represent change.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35In my case, I think it's a good thing.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37In his case, you know, that's another story.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40But I think people were looking for something different.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42And what are you going to give them that's different?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45My big thing is, you know, diversity,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48trying to change the image of sheriff's offices, you know.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Traditionally, you see cowboys in cowboy hats and boots,
0:43:52 > 0:43:53and the good-old-boy system.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55And so I've gone out and hired more minorities.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58We can't change the system unless people who look like us
0:43:58 > 0:43:59are part of the system.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04I think people are culturally separate in our country right now.
0:44:04 > 0:44:09You know, we pretend to be 2017, and, you know, we're progressive,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11you know, but our country is racially still very divided.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15The African-American population is about 47%, 48%, I believe.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18What's happening, though, is kind of the white flight.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20You've got Caucasians leaving our community
0:44:20 > 0:44:23to go to the outlying areas that are specifically white.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26Those people, I would consider, like, the Trump supporters,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29who are afraid that all the minority groups
0:44:29 > 0:44:32are going to get together and take over.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34So, the fact that you've been elected
0:44:34 > 0:44:38- is a kind of change over of power, isn't it?- Absolutely.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41You know, America is great, and so when I hear people say,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45"Let's make America great again," I ask people, "What does that mean?
0:44:45 > 0:44:48"Does it mean that, you know, you want to go back to slavery?"
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Because even in all its flaws, in 2017,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54I'm a black sheriff, we've had a black president.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56I believe we're on the right path.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59What time period in our country's history
0:44:59 > 0:45:01was America better than it is now?
0:45:01 > 0:45:03And I ask that question to some older white people
0:45:03 > 0:45:05and they're almost embarrassed to answer that,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08because what that means to me is you want to go back to a period
0:45:08 > 0:45:12when minorities were quiet and uneducated...
0:45:12 > 0:45:17- Yeah.- ..or picking cotton. What else could that mean?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Well, she's really something.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Her desire is for unity.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24You know, the United States of Beaumont
0:45:24 > 0:45:28is what she's after, and I think she's going to get it.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30To help stop divisions in the community,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Beaumont is hosting an LGBT event.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36The President, however, has just announced that
0:45:36 > 0:45:40he wants transgender people removed from certain institutions.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43- REPORTER:- Donald Trump recently announced that transgender people
0:45:43 > 0:45:47will not be able to serve in the US Armed Forces in any capacity.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51If you had asked me, in the middle of 2016,
0:45:51 > 0:45:52to do a television interview
0:45:52 > 0:45:55to identify myself as a transgender woman,
0:45:55 > 0:45:57to make myself that public,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59I would have been like, "Yeah, this is a good thing."
0:45:59 > 0:46:02I'm a lot more wary now of doing that
0:46:02 > 0:46:04because we're being attacked
0:46:04 > 0:46:06and they're going on a little witch-hunt.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07They're looking for people like me,
0:46:07 > 0:46:12and I don't want to be as public any more as I used to,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14because that runs a personal danger for me.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18It's shameful that because they're not in the category
0:46:18 > 0:46:21that people want to put them in, that they are...
0:46:22 > 0:46:26..the victims of violence and horrible remarks.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29We just recently heard how there's a transgender phase-out -
0:46:29 > 0:46:31that's how it's being referred to -
0:46:31 > 0:46:33a phase-out programme for the military.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36We're literally talking about people trying to erase us
0:46:36 > 0:46:40from one institution at a time, one system at a time.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43To erase us from public. That's very strong language
0:46:43 > 0:46:46when you're just trying to be a human being.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48If people are frightened to go outside
0:46:48 > 0:46:51because they don't fit into a gender category,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54you know something is wrong and it has to change.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56Right now, with the Trump administration
0:46:56 > 0:46:58and with all these very backwards policies,
0:46:58 > 0:47:00it's important now, more than ever, to speak up.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Can I say something?
0:47:02 > 0:47:04As a law-enforcement officer in this community
0:47:04 > 0:47:06and a leader in this community,
0:47:06 > 0:47:09when I hear you talk about being afraid to be visible,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11I'm going to tell you guys - you're not alone.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14And I'm not just talking about from a cop perspective.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- I'm black, if y'all hadn't noticed. - LAUGHTER
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- OK? - Oh, and you're a woman, too.- Yeah!
0:47:18 > 0:47:21LAUGHTER
0:47:21 > 0:47:24And so, while we laugh and make light of it,
0:47:24 > 0:47:25what I do know is we've got to start
0:47:25 > 0:47:27embarrassing these people in our community
0:47:27 > 0:47:30and we've got to start making them accountable for the things that they say and do.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36I'm 100% with them,
0:47:36 > 0:47:41and I think that the fact that the sheriff is here,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44supportive, wants to do things...
0:47:45 > 0:47:50I think Beaumont is an example to this nation.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53I would just so love it if, one day, we never did have to say,
0:47:53 > 0:47:58"I'm gender fluid or I'm man or woman or gay or
0:47:58 > 0:48:01"on the way or trans or whatever..."
0:48:01 > 0:48:07You know? I want to pull down those barriers, if possible.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12These people are helping and trying and working
0:48:12 > 0:48:16to mend their damaged community.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21They are showing America how to become one society,
0:48:21 > 0:48:23and I think that Zena
0:48:23 > 0:48:25should stand for president.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30I've told her that, and I hope she will.
0:48:30 > 0:48:36Yield. Don't ask me to yield! I never yield!
0:48:36 > 0:48:40After nearly two months and over 1,000 miles,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Miriam is heading through the state of Louisiana
0:48:42 > 0:48:44to her final destination -
0:48:44 > 0:48:47the city of New Orleans.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51Look! Ha-ha! New Orleans!
0:48:51 > 0:48:55- AMERICAN ACCENT: - I's here, baby! Get ready!
0:48:55 > 0:48:56Oh, gosh!
0:48:58 > 0:49:01New Orleans is the end of the line,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05not just for me, but for the end of America,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08because it is the coast. Margate's a bit the same.
0:49:08 > 0:49:13You get all kinds of weirdos landing up by the sea.
0:49:13 > 0:49:18But I'm looking forward to it. I like odd types.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22New Orleans has always had a hugely diverse population,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25but it was here, in 2005,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28where Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city
0:49:28 > 0:49:31that the divisions between rich and poor in America
0:49:31 > 0:49:33were brought to the world's attention.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Many in the poorest neighbourhoods were left stranded,
0:49:36 > 0:49:40waiting for days for any rescue attempt to be put into place.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42- REPORTER:- It's the stuff of disaster movies -
0:49:42 > 0:49:45a scene reminiscent of the Civil War.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49So many poor, black homes either flooded or destroyed
0:49:49 > 0:49:53that more whites now live in New Orleans than blacks.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It's been through a hell of a battering
0:49:56 > 0:49:58when the hurricane came,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02and things didn't go right for a long time.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06So, I'm quite interested to see how it's recovered
0:50:06 > 0:50:07from that grim period.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10Thank you.
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Oh!
0:50:16 > 0:50:18That's nice.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Well, I've certainly got a bit of luxury,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23which is what I wanted at the end of the trip.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- Oh, hello. Thank you.- Yes, ma'am.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28The gap between rich and poor in America is shocking.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31It's a country of contrasts,
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and the contrasts are sharper down the middle
0:50:34 > 0:50:40because the poor here are very poor and the rich are oil-rich.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Despite nearly 80% of the city being affected by hurricane flooding,
0:50:49 > 0:50:53the historical French Quarter survived largely unscathed.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56A pharmacy museum.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59That's fabulous!
0:51:01 > 0:51:03What we're looking at right here is
0:51:03 > 0:51:05the original artefacts from this building,
0:51:05 > 0:51:09which, believe it or not, came from the privy.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12- The loo? From the loo? - From the loo. The outdoor loo.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14That's what we call it in England, the loo.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16I've been travelling down the middle of America,
0:51:16 > 0:51:20- and I haven't seen anything old. It's all been new.- Yeah.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23It feels so different than the rest of America, don't you think?
0:51:23 > 0:51:26- Yes, I do.- Yeah. It's the French and the Spanish influence,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29and, of course, the African, indigenous Caribbean,
0:51:29 > 0:51:30all right here in these few blocks.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Does everybody get on here or is there prejudice?
0:51:33 > 0:51:36Oh, of course there is, but there are a lot of things
0:51:36 > 0:51:39that are just sort of like universal equalisers,
0:51:39 > 0:51:43like Carnival, and the whole city can come together,
0:51:43 > 0:51:44which is really amazing.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47- Is it fun to live here? - Oh, absolutely!
0:51:47 > 0:51:50I think it's magic to live here.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56This feels like a civilised place, and it's seen everything.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00It's had hurricanes, it's had flooding,
0:52:00 > 0:52:05it's had horrible racial-prejudice divides,
0:52:05 > 0:52:07and it's come out beautiful,
0:52:07 > 0:52:11sophisticated, and I just love it.
0:52:13 > 0:52:18"Caramel Curves - New Orleans all-female biker gang."
0:52:19 > 0:52:22They're a whole different breed of women.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24They look fun.
0:52:26 > 0:52:27Oh, God!
0:52:29 > 0:52:33The Caramel Curves came together after Hurricane Katrina.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36They were co-founded by nail bar owner Coco.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- That's it. Thank you, sir. - All right?
0:52:39 > 0:52:43- Hi!- Are you Coco?- Yes, ma'am, I am. - Very nice to meet you.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45- Thanks for letting us come. - Same here, honey.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49- So, this is your place? - Yes, this is my little humble abode.
0:52:49 > 0:52:55- Now, tell me, is this right about the girl biker gang?- Yes.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57That would be us.
0:52:57 > 0:52:58It's an all-female club.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00You have to have a vagina and a motorbike.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03- Well, I've got one of those. - THEY LAUGH
0:53:03 > 0:53:06I don't think I could show my bosoms off
0:53:06 > 0:53:08- like you're showing your bosoms.- Yes.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10I've got 'em, make no mistake. They're there.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13- We just need to cut this right here. - They're under wraps slightly.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Yeah, no, I got something, we can push them up with tape.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20- Cut this right here. You're in. - I'm not having you cut my top.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24- It sounds huge fun.- It is.
0:53:24 > 0:53:28And it's women being out there and brave
0:53:28 > 0:53:31and not being told what to do.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Right. It's your own time,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37your own moment, where you get to be free.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- How are you doing?- Hello. Oh, my God!- Nice to meet you.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43- I'm Miriam.- I'm Quiet Storm with the Caramel Curves.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- Quiet Storm?- Yes.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Come to present you with this helmet that you can borrow tonight?
0:53:48 > 0:53:51- I've never worn a helmet, so I don't...- Really?- No.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Darling, I'm a white middle-class girl.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- I don't know anything. - THEY LAUGH
0:53:55 > 0:53:58Just push it down. Now I can't see anything.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00- Oh, now I can.- You're good.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Now we just need to put you on one of the motorbikes.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04You look like a bikie,
0:54:04 > 0:54:07and I just look like a delivery girl!
0:54:14 > 0:54:18I think they are amazing women of great courage,
0:54:18 > 0:54:21and what we say in Yiddish - "koach".
0:54:21 > 0:54:25It means they've got balls, they've got strength,
0:54:25 > 0:54:28and I wish I'd met them when I was younger,
0:54:28 > 0:54:32but I'm too short and I'm too old and I'm too scared.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35I'm just too scared, really. I'm going to follow them.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45New Orleans is a place where black people...
0:54:46 > 0:54:49..have come into their own,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52and showed the world how strong they are.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57And these women just want to be free and independent.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00There have been moments during the journey
0:55:00 > 0:55:05when freedom and independence and hopefulness
0:55:05 > 0:55:07were rather at the bottom of the pile.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12Here, these girls are giving light at the end of the tunnel.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22You are one hell of a wild bunch!
0:55:22 > 0:55:25You've still got to raise your shirt up and show your tits.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29- Oh, I can do that any time! - LAUGHTER
0:55:29 > 0:55:33- I don't mind doing that! - You is a hot girl!
0:55:35 > 0:55:40I think you're wonderful. I mean that with all my heart.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44- You give me hope.- Thank you. - Not just for me, but for America.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47And it lifts my heart, and lifts my tits, as well.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51- LAUGHTER - Bye-bye. God bless. Bye-bye.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53I am at the end of my trip
0:55:53 > 0:55:59and I think the effect on me personally has been very chastening.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03I feel that I was too quick to judgment,
0:56:03 > 0:56:07too intolerant, too confrontational.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10In a way, all the things that you could say about Mr Trump.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13I was a sort of mini, mini Trump.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15A Trumpess.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17- A Trumpette. - SHE LAUGHS
0:56:17 > 0:56:20But I think that is wrong,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24and I believe that I have become more able
0:56:24 > 0:56:27to see the other person's point of view.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32You can salute across the chasm that divides you.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37Miriam has decided that, despite the weather,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40she wants her last view of America to be from the Mississippi.
0:56:41 > 0:56:45I feel very fond of America, but very worried about it.
0:56:45 > 0:56:50It is divided. And as long as that chap in Washington is there,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54I'm not sure it's going to meld together again.
0:56:54 > 0:57:00So, I'm just a little bit anxious as I leave this great nation,
0:57:00 > 0:57:03but the positives are always the people,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05and they are fabulous.
0:57:05 > 0:57:11They're varied and courageous and funny and brave and daring.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15They have intelligence and compassion.
0:57:15 > 0:57:21People that just make me happy, give me hope.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24And I need it at the moment because, really,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28America is in a tangle and I want it to sort itself out.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33But there is a hope, there is a future.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36They are a strong, decent nation.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39I should be president!