Everyone says that this new crop of American Nazis is really mean, but I, a white journalist, went out to talk to them for this profile, and they were actually really nice. I mean, sure, when I first met George Nathan Bedford Forrest Wallace on his compound, I was a little thrown off by his swastika hat, Confederate-flag T-shirt, and his pants, which had a crossed-out trans flag on each leg. All those hateful clothes made him seem a little mean.
But when he opened the front door of his bunker for me, and I thought, See, this is a guy with manners. He knows how to treat a lady.
His wife, Davida “Duke” Wallace, was also very nice. She introduced me to her knitting circle, which was six pleasant middle-aged ladies who were just sitting down for sweet tea and cake before they went back to their latest group knitting project. I was a little nervous when I saw that they were knitting a very large blanket that read GO BACK TO AFRICA, but they also served me a scrumptious lemon cake with raspberry filling. They even gave me the recipe.
And their kids couldn’t have been sweeter. Eleven-year-old George Wallace Junior and eight-year-old Strom Thurmond Wallace taught me how to play a game in the woods with their bow and arrows. I admit I was a little freaked out when they told me the game was called “The Great Re-Replacement Theory,” but I don’t know anything about the woods, and they kept me from crashing into poison ivy. Yeah, their game was a little edgy, but would truly terrible people help a stranger out like that?
Overall, I have to say that I really enjoyed my visit with the Wallaces. I obviously don’t share their worldview, but I think they’re friendly, kind folks who everyone in the country would be proud to call “neighbor.” Okay, maybe not everybody, but you know, most Americans.
Kashana Cauley’s latest novel is The Payback.