We know the story of Jim Jones, the cult leader who ushered hundreds to their death but what if there was more to the story and more information that lead to that horrific day from the perspectives of the people often overlooked?
CULT MASSACRE: ONE DAY IN JONESTOWN tells the story of an idealistic religious organization led by the infamous Jim Jones, who set out to establish a utopian community in Guyana. What began as a peaceful movement seeking social justice ultimately spiraled into a mass casualty that left 918 dead. Told by survivors and eyewitnesses, along with rare footage and rare recordings of Jones, the powerful series takes an immersive look into the final harrowing hours leading up to one of America’s darkest chapters.
As seen in this exclusive clip, we are introduced to Yulunda Williams, an African American woman from Peoples Temple who survived that day. She describes first arriving at the Peoples Temple as a place full of diversity, calling it a “rainbow coalition” of people from all different backgrounds joining together as one. What isn’t often talked about in the media was Jim Jones’ preaching of the importance of the civil rights movement. She felt seen being in a place that was multiracial and multigenerational. Jim Jones wasn’t yet the maniac he would become, but a leader for all people who embraced Williams and his followers by preaching to them the importance of living out Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream. Williams was excited about what was to come…. until she wasn’t.
CULT MASSACRE features first-person accounts from former Peoples Temple members, including Leslie Wagner Wilson and Yulanda Williams; former member of Congress and aide to U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan Jackie Speier; former Washington Post foreign correspondent Charles Krause; former Special Ops Air Force Sgt. David Netterville, who was among the first of three U.S. service members to enter Jonestown in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and has never spoken about his experience for a documentary before; and Jim Jones’ son, Stephan Jones.
All three episodes of CULT MASSACRE: ONE DAY IN JONESTOWN releases on Monday, June 17th on Hulu. The series will also air on National Geographic’s on Wednesday, August 14th.
