Dear White People (2017) s01e06 Episode Script
Episode 6
1 [orchestral music playing.]
[narrator.]
Ah, Winchester University, bustling home to the leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.
[yelling.]
[narrator.]
A place where ideas and community reign supreme.
- [woman.]
Stop! Don't! Don't! - [all yelling.]
[narrator.]
A place where this kind of shit can still happen.
[heavy breathing.]
Yeah.
I got nothing.
Reggie? Are you there? I was thinking about what happened all night.
We gotta clap back strong.
Reggie? Billie Holiday, I sing your blues Bet your life against me And I swear to God you'll lose it [rapping continues.]
Dear white people, our skin color is not a weapon.
You don't have to be afraid of it.
And heads up to campus security, nowhere in the curriculum did any of us sign up for Get a Gun Pulled on You and Have Your Humanity Stripped Away 101.
What did you think you were signing up for? Solving the case of the missing midterm paper? [exhales.]
I need to cool off, y'all.
Let's enjoy some soothing music.
Say fuck the police, one, two, three - Fuck the police - Yeah, fuck 'em Okay, you've been going in on that bag for the past 20 minutes.
Girl, I have been stress-eating chicken nuggets since last night.
Waist thin, ass thick's gonna have to wait until America solves its race issues.
[laughs.]
[exhales.]
How you holding up? Gabe has been amazing, but is it weird that all night I just wanted to be with Reggie? To comfort him.
Of course.
- What else? - [mutters.]
- Okay.
- No.
You have lost your nugget-shaped pressed meat privileges.
How dare you.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, we're back, y'all.
Hope you didn't go anywhere because racism sure didn't.
Let's take some calls.
Caller, what's your question? [man.]
I'm sorry, but didn't Reggie cause a scene? Wasn't the officer simply protecting himself and others at the party? Yeah, but the punishment for being a rowdy college student shouldn't be staring down the barrel of a gun.
When are you gonna wake up to your white privilege, man? [man.]
Uh I'm black.
Sorry, brotha.
Still wrong.
Thanks for calling.
Oh, and don't forget, BSU is hosting a school-wide meeting today at AP House.
Get informed.
Fight the power.
["I Can't Breathe" plays.]
[laughs.]
Where did that one come from? - [Al.]
Yo, this is some bullshit! - [woman.]
Mm-hmm.
That rent-a-cop's probably eating a bologna sandwich, twiddling his thumbs right now.
[all.]
Yeah.
The dean is taking careful steps to make sure this is dealt with.
- Lip service.
- [man.]
It's gotta stop! [clamoring.]
- [woman.]
Man, fuck the police! - [woman 2.]
No more! Stop, please.
You're scaring Sorbet.
Think about what Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
said.
Can't we all just get along? What? Can't we? She's squeezing the shit out of that dog.
Literally, there's shit everywhere.
Is it weird that a comfort dog is making everyone but Kelsey uncomfortable? You know, I'm starting to see it.
He gives me James Blake, Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds vibes.
You're just naming random white people.
I am.
We cannot sit about and do nothing.
[Troy.]
Things are being done as we speak.
I said Reggie has a meeting with the dean today.
[Sam sighs.]
If cops in the real world aren't held accountable, how can we expect a Winchester cop to suffer anything but a slap on the wrist? Exactly.
We need to make an example out of that glorified security guard.
Yo, I want to know who called the cops.
Bring that fool to me right now.
- [man.]
Yeah.
- [woman.]
Exactly.
What the fuck were these guys doing with guns in the first place? - Yeah.
- Exactly.
Brother Reggie, just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you Thoughts and prayers don't stop bullets, Pastor Kordell.
We need to run up on the campus pig and handle this ourselves.
[woman.]
Fuck him up.
Listen to yourselves.
Running up on a cop? Calling them pigs? As soon as you double down on your blackness, they will double down on their bullshit.
They pull guns on us.
They shoot us.
They kill us.
That has not changed in 200 years.
We need to manage our blackness in situations like these.
You're talking about assimilation? No, I'm talking about self-preservation.
Quote me correctly.
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
I've actually seen friends and family members shot.
And every time it happens, I wish they had done something, anything to prevent it.
Some of y'all in here with your liberal purity, wasting time deciding who's black enough.
Who cares if you're woke or not if you're dead? [crowd murmuring.]
Time to shine, Lionel.
How people see this is in your hands.
No pressure.
I don't see any other papers covering this.
[Kurt.]
Hey, Sam.
Sam.
- [groans.]
- I have a great idea.
You're transferring to another school? Come on, Sam.
How did we get here? Who hurt you? Well, 200 years of Slavery, got it, right.
Sorry I asked.
Anyway, what happened to Reggie, that was fucked up.
And as people who have a voice on this campus, you and I, we need to collab.
- Kurt, that is not gonna - No, no, no, hear me out.
You have Dear White People.
I have Pastiche.
Together, we have Dear White Pastiche or Pasty White People.
It's totally your call either way.
But the point is, we can make racism our bitch.
Weren't you the one who brought us such feel-good hits as the lawn jockey issue and the blackface party? Well, that was actually our first collab if you think about it.
I also wrote a piece called "The Cream in the Oreo" about my first mixed-racial threesome.
People called it "an enlightening tale of race" Kurt, I will never, ever, never, ever, ever collab with you on your piece of shit racist magazine.
So you'll think about it and get back to me? Okay.
Hey, Reggie.
I came by your room this morning.
Hey, Sam.
Hey, Co.
Thanks for checking in, but I'm fine.
[Al.]
Yo, Reggie, after my class, I'm gonna come with you to the dean's meeting.
Give him a piece of my mind.
Thanks, man, but I can take care of it myself.
You don't have to.
Joelle and I will be there.
We'll make sure that the dean doesn't get away with his usual bullshit and no action.
[Troy.]
If you all are going then I'm going, too.
You'll need a liaison.
I must come as well.
Power in numbers.
You just nosy.
[Gabe.]
Me too, man.
It'll help paint this as a student issue, not just a black-white issue.
We got your back, Reggie.
Where the hell is Reggie? [Dean Fairbanks.]
That is an excellent question.
I'm not even sure why all of you are here, except to break my Keurig machine.
[sipping.]
Dad, can we just wait a few minutes until Reggie gets here? [Sam.]
Or we can tell you what happened.
We were all there.
That cop was [Dean Fairbanks.]
Miss White.
I don't have a meeting with you.
I have a meeting with Reggie Green.
Or at least I did an hour ago.
Yeah, but, Dad, he was held at gunpoint by a cop.
Nothing is going to happen unless Reggie is here, son.
Yes, sir.
[sighs.]
Some liaison.
Dean Fairbanks, this is not a good look for Winchester.
The longer this goes on, the worse it gets.
Like a toothy blowjob.
Sir.
There are protocols that the board must go through to review this incident, first being a statement from Reggie.
Maybe we should change the protocols if they favor the person with the gun.
My office is not a town hall.
This incident is under review.
And I have another meeting.
So please, exit! How would you feel if this happened to Troy? Troy would never find himself in this situation.
How can you be so sure? Because I raised him.
[Sam.]
I am not about to let this shit get swept under the rug like Brandy's vehicular manslaughter.
She was never charged.
Does anybody know where Reggie is? - I mean, that's your boy, Sam.
- He just left.
- Is this some sort of protest? - I don't know.
Wait, so you have not spoken to him at all? No.
I haven't.
Okay? I I have a solve.
We'll track him down, and we'll figure this thing out.
It could be anything, okay? We gotta do it right away, though, 'cause political amnesia's a bitch.
All right, when I was a community organizer, we Ooh, check you out, Disney Channel Obama, what did you organize? Uh, as an undergrad, I started the non-GMO Organic Community Garden.
You know, kale, arugula, Cruciferae.
- Cruciferae, huh? - Couldn't just say leafy greens? I say it using SAT words.
And if you guys haven't noticed, outside of these hallowed brick walls, there's a community in a food desert.
I do not believe Cruciferae will solve this problem.
What are we going to do? Right there.
There's our opportunity.
Yeah, we'll form a human blockade.
- Really get their attention.
- [Gabe.]
Mm-hmm.
I'll bring some Beyoncé and blast "Freedom.
" Yeah, I'll get in contact with Black AF and BSU.
We will yell them into submission! Uh huge fan of yelling, you know this, but this time, I was thinking more emphatically stating our case so they want to work with us on fighting systemic racism.
#EmphaticallyStatingOurCase.
Y'all, we have a plan.
Let's move.
And in the meantime, I'll get ahold of Reggie.
- Cool.
- Nice.
- All right.
- See you.
- My darling.
- Yes? Are we still on for coffee? [inhales.]
Ooh.
I'm not asking you to meet my parents.
Just my friends.
I mean, they're starting to think you're imaginary.
Besides, for some wackadoo reason, the more I see you, the more I miss you.
[kisses.]
Nice one.
Okay.
- All right? - Okay.
[chuckles.]
Hey, Reggie, uh, where are you? We all waited for you at the dean's office.
Anyway, um, Gabe came up we came up with this great idea to disrupt the rally tonight.
Uh, call me back ASAP.
You okay? Call me.
[phone beeps.]
[Gabe.]
They're gonna have it, uh um, a quart of organic that actually pumps the air automatically when you plug it in.
It's electric.
- [man.]
That's dope.
- But it's just keys.
It's a keyboard, you know.
- Yeah.
- Oh, hey.
- [Gabe.]
Sam.
- Oh.
- [Gabe.]
Hey.
- [Sam.]
Hey.
Sam, this is Milo - Hey.
Hi.
- [Gabe.]
Vanessa.
- Hey.
- [Sam.]
Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- [Sam.]
You too.
Your show, brilliant.
- You listen? - Who doesn't? Based on recent events, the administration.
[Vanessa.]
They're really shitting the bed on this one.
I knew we were dealing with institutional racism, but at least have the dignity to coat that shit.
- [Vanessa.]
Hmm.
- [grunts.]
- Anyone's espresso taste off? - [Vanessa.]
No.
It's hard enough for POCs to even get into a place like this.
And then when they do, they're still subjected to the new Jim Crow? What do you expect from a school that still has buildings named after slave owners? Gabe, are you finally paying penance for your parents' support of all the Bushes, including Jeb? [gasps.]
[gasping.]
[Milo.]
Oh, she doesn't know.
Well, this is an Ivy League Capulet and Montague situation right before our eyes.
[Gabe.]
I told you my parents were from New Hampshire, I thought it was implied.
It's a swing state.
- I - [Milo.]
Can you even imagine a Republican Gabe? "Chaz, come summer on my very big boat.
The deck is made of endangered rhino bones.
" [laughing.]
"Roland, you must try the caviar.
It's like the salty tears of poor people.
" [laughing.]
Oh, my God.
[Gabe.]
Oh.
Whew.
I needed that.
I can't imagine what this has been like for you.
Definitely not feeling the school spirit lately.
But we do have a little wake-up call set up for tonight.
Well we're going to form a human blockade at the pep rally and force the conversation.
We need to see actual movement.
No guns, consequences for things like blackface parties and fire that idiot campus cop.
I'm there.
Me too.
Milo, you're skipping Cambodian Woodworking? You love impractical electives.
Heroism requires sacrifice.
Mm, I think I ordered decaf.
[clears throat.]
Have you told Reggie yet? Uh, I I can't get ahold of him.
He's been MIA.
[Vanessa.]
Well, makes sense.
Public victim.
Public what now? Well, in Behavioral Psych, we've been talking about how public victims don't have time to grieve because their trauma is immediately politicized, especially with social media and the 24-hour news cycle.
It's a lot.
They switched to Arabica beans.
[all.]
Ohh.
Reggie.
Yo.
What's up, Sam? [Sam.]
Hey.
I've been looking for you all day.
How are you? Fine.
[scoffs.]
You weren't at the meeting with Fairbanks.
We were all waiting for you.
Got busy.
We might have to reschedule.
Reggie, you're being weird.
Talk to me.
I said I was fine.
That was me, talking.
And it was directed at you.
Can't be more clearer.
Okay.
Well, did you get my messages about breaking up the pep rally? Yep.
All 19 of 'em.
You know, your Beyoncé gifs take up a lot of memory.
Worth it.
Where you going? [Reggie.]
I got somewhere to be.
Okay, well, I'm coming with.
[acoustic guitar playing.]
All this time I've known you, I've never been here.
Come here all the time.
There's no need to hide it.
[Reggie.]
I'm not hiding anything.
Joelle's been here with me a couple times.
Well, don't hesitate to invite me.
- I'm always down for - Shh.
[slow strumming, music fades.]
[feedback whining.]
It's totally crazy what's been going on on campus lately, and I just wanted to do something to help.
I want my pain to heal Winchester.
[percussive funk music playing.]
[Sam.]
What is this, Tyler Perry Presents The Nutcracker? She's raising the roof off of racism.
This is like some Jane Fonda woke aerobics.
All right, girl, time to wrap up 12 Minutes A Slave.
I love you, baby.
[applause.]
They're gonna have really weird sex tonight.
Mm-hmm.
[Sam.]
How many cultures did she appropriate in that set? [Reggie.]
I counted about eight.
Mm, impressive.
[inhales.]
Uh look, I've been processing.
I get it.
Do what you need to do.
Thanks.
Time for open slots.
Anyone have something they want to bring up? [feedback whines.]
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, unless you're loud and black and possess an opinion, then all you get is a bullet, a bullet that held me at bay, a bullet that can puncture my skin, take all my dreams away, a bullet that can silence the words that I speak to my mother just because I'm other, a bullet held me captive.
Gun in my face, your hate misplaced.
White skin, light skin, but for me, not the right skin.
Judging me with no crime committed.
Reckless trigger finger itching to prove your worth by disproving mine, my life in your hands, my life on the line.
Fred Hampton.
Tamir Rice.
Rekia Boyd.
Reggie Green? Spared by a piece of paper, a student ID that you had to see before you could identify me and set me supposedly free.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
For some of us, maybe.
There's nothing self-evident about it.
[applause.]
That was beautiful.
Thank you.
Nah, for real, though.
You were giving me Langston vibes with a splash of Baldwin and the modern-day vulnerability of Frank Ocean.
Except you actually release your art when you plan to.
[chuckles.]
Well, I'm just taking a page out of your book.
You stir shit up.
You're Huey Newton, running up on the state capitol with a bunch of guns, but you do it better with a mic.
Just glad I got the chance to share it with you.
Me too.
I can't believe I've been missing out on this.
[chuckles.]
It's not that big a deal.
It is a big deal.
It was fearless and honest.
You know what? What you said needs to be heard.
What if you shared it at the pep rally tonight? Sam.
Reggie.
Reggie.
We'll make sure the blockade gives you space so you're not interrupted, and we'll even get you a bullhorn.
That poem was for me, not your rally.
It's our rally.
What you said is what everyone else needs to hear.
- Sam.
- [scoffs.]
If you can shake the earth at an open mic, you can shake the whole damn school.
My pain is not your platform.
The whole movement is about pain.
That's why we're out in these streets, because of our pain.
You don't think Martin had pain? You don't think Malcolm had pain? Right now, I just need to be a man and not a movement.
Ever since freshman year, you have done nothing but look to me to be the leader of the movement.
You've put it on me every single day.
Don't you think there's a woman under here? Sam, I didn't mean to put anything on you.
I just believe in you.
I root for you.
When I see you, I see the best in you.
I see a leader.
Well, maybe sometimes, I want you to just see me.
Is that why you chose him? Do you know how hard it was seeing you two together last night, walking home together? You've been stringing me along since the first day I met you.
Never there for me when I needed you.
And last night, I was in a house full of people and I've never felt more alone.
I'm here now, Reggie.
I am here.
Fuck it.
It'll be okay.
Let's just go to the rally.
No.
You stay.
I'll go.
[keys jingle.]
[sighs.]
[lock turning.]
So, um, what are you gonna do? Probably just put on Defamation, do a little hate-watch to get my mind off things.
I should go to the rally.
You know kids like you Ain't supposed to know That the world is broken And the sun is frozen You know kids like you Ain't supposed to feel Like the earth is caving And the world ain't spinning For you You You I bet you never knew, never knew Love could be this bright Ain't it something? Smile or something [phone buzzing.]
[buzzing continues.]
[buzzing stops.]
You look lost You look lost I see you running into the woods With your bright yellow jacket In the woods You look lost, you look lost You look lost If you heard that I'm a threat Then you heard right Shades on, but there ain't a lens For my third eye People are see-through They ain't really trying to learn But you're eating what I feed you 'Cause it's served right People see me and perceive me In the worst light Find it hard to read me I ain't speaking, I observe guys 'Cause people will deceive you I ain't really trying to learn lies Searching for meaning With my burnt eyes When I'm old and I'm gray And I've been through it all Ask me what I've learned I say I've learned life Pick up my book of rhymes, blow it And watch the dirt rise Looking down at earth From a bird's eye Searching, but searching for what? Searching for the purpose, the words And the worth that we lost My eyes ain't awake And my mind's in a place where you can Get what you ask for Every time that you pray
[narrator.]
Ah, Winchester University, bustling home to the leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.
[yelling.]
[narrator.]
A place where ideas and community reign supreme.
- [woman.]
Stop! Don't! Don't! - [all yelling.]
[narrator.]
A place where this kind of shit can still happen.
[heavy breathing.]
Yeah.
I got nothing.
Reggie? Are you there? I was thinking about what happened all night.
We gotta clap back strong.
Reggie? Billie Holiday, I sing your blues Bet your life against me And I swear to God you'll lose it [rapping continues.]
Dear white people, our skin color is not a weapon.
You don't have to be afraid of it.
And heads up to campus security, nowhere in the curriculum did any of us sign up for Get a Gun Pulled on You and Have Your Humanity Stripped Away 101.
What did you think you were signing up for? Solving the case of the missing midterm paper? [exhales.]
I need to cool off, y'all.
Let's enjoy some soothing music.
Say fuck the police, one, two, three - Fuck the police - Yeah, fuck 'em Okay, you've been going in on that bag for the past 20 minutes.
Girl, I have been stress-eating chicken nuggets since last night.
Waist thin, ass thick's gonna have to wait until America solves its race issues.
[laughs.]
[exhales.]
How you holding up? Gabe has been amazing, but is it weird that all night I just wanted to be with Reggie? To comfort him.
Of course.
- What else? - [mutters.]
- Okay.
- No.
You have lost your nugget-shaped pressed meat privileges.
How dare you.
Thank you.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, we're back, y'all.
Hope you didn't go anywhere because racism sure didn't.
Let's take some calls.
Caller, what's your question? [man.]
I'm sorry, but didn't Reggie cause a scene? Wasn't the officer simply protecting himself and others at the party? Yeah, but the punishment for being a rowdy college student shouldn't be staring down the barrel of a gun.
When are you gonna wake up to your white privilege, man? [man.]
Uh I'm black.
Sorry, brotha.
Still wrong.
Thanks for calling.
Oh, and don't forget, BSU is hosting a school-wide meeting today at AP House.
Get informed.
Fight the power.
["I Can't Breathe" plays.]
[laughs.]
Where did that one come from? - [Al.]
Yo, this is some bullshit! - [woman.]
Mm-hmm.
That rent-a-cop's probably eating a bologna sandwich, twiddling his thumbs right now.
[all.]
Yeah.
The dean is taking careful steps to make sure this is dealt with.
- Lip service.
- [man.]
It's gotta stop! [clamoring.]
- [woman.]
Man, fuck the police! - [woman 2.]
No more! Stop, please.
You're scaring Sorbet.
Think about what Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
said.
Can't we all just get along? What? Can't we? She's squeezing the shit out of that dog.
Literally, there's shit everywhere.
Is it weird that a comfort dog is making everyone but Kelsey uncomfortable? You know, I'm starting to see it.
He gives me James Blake, Zac Efron, Ryan Reynolds vibes.
You're just naming random white people.
I am.
We cannot sit about and do nothing.
[Troy.]
Things are being done as we speak.
I said Reggie has a meeting with the dean today.
[Sam sighs.]
If cops in the real world aren't held accountable, how can we expect a Winchester cop to suffer anything but a slap on the wrist? Exactly.
We need to make an example out of that glorified security guard.
Yo, I want to know who called the cops.
Bring that fool to me right now.
- [man.]
Yeah.
- [woman.]
Exactly.
What the fuck were these guys doing with guns in the first place? - Yeah.
- Exactly.
Brother Reggie, just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you Thoughts and prayers don't stop bullets, Pastor Kordell.
We need to run up on the campus pig and handle this ourselves.
[woman.]
Fuck him up.
Listen to yourselves.
Running up on a cop? Calling them pigs? As soon as you double down on your blackness, they will double down on their bullshit.
They pull guns on us.
They shoot us.
They kill us.
That has not changed in 200 years.
We need to manage our blackness in situations like these.
You're talking about assimilation? No, I'm talking about self-preservation.
Quote me correctly.
I grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
I've actually seen friends and family members shot.
And every time it happens, I wish they had done something, anything to prevent it.
Some of y'all in here with your liberal purity, wasting time deciding who's black enough.
Who cares if you're woke or not if you're dead? [crowd murmuring.]
Time to shine, Lionel.
How people see this is in your hands.
No pressure.
I don't see any other papers covering this.
[Kurt.]
Hey, Sam.
Sam.
- [groans.]
- I have a great idea.
You're transferring to another school? Come on, Sam.
How did we get here? Who hurt you? Well, 200 years of Slavery, got it, right.
Sorry I asked.
Anyway, what happened to Reggie, that was fucked up.
And as people who have a voice on this campus, you and I, we need to collab.
- Kurt, that is not gonna - No, no, no, hear me out.
You have Dear White People.
I have Pastiche.
Together, we have Dear White Pastiche or Pasty White People.
It's totally your call either way.
But the point is, we can make racism our bitch.
Weren't you the one who brought us such feel-good hits as the lawn jockey issue and the blackface party? Well, that was actually our first collab if you think about it.
I also wrote a piece called "The Cream in the Oreo" about my first mixed-racial threesome.
People called it "an enlightening tale of race" Kurt, I will never, ever, never, ever, ever collab with you on your piece of shit racist magazine.
So you'll think about it and get back to me? Okay.
Hey, Reggie.
I came by your room this morning.
Hey, Sam.
Hey, Co.
Thanks for checking in, but I'm fine.
[Al.]
Yo, Reggie, after my class, I'm gonna come with you to the dean's meeting.
Give him a piece of my mind.
Thanks, man, but I can take care of it myself.
You don't have to.
Joelle and I will be there.
We'll make sure that the dean doesn't get away with his usual bullshit and no action.
[Troy.]
If you all are going then I'm going, too.
You'll need a liaison.
I must come as well.
Power in numbers.
You just nosy.
[Gabe.]
Me too, man.
It'll help paint this as a student issue, not just a black-white issue.
We got your back, Reggie.
Where the hell is Reggie? [Dean Fairbanks.]
That is an excellent question.
I'm not even sure why all of you are here, except to break my Keurig machine.
[sipping.]
Dad, can we just wait a few minutes until Reggie gets here? [Sam.]
Or we can tell you what happened.
We were all there.
That cop was [Dean Fairbanks.]
Miss White.
I don't have a meeting with you.
I have a meeting with Reggie Green.
Or at least I did an hour ago.
Yeah, but, Dad, he was held at gunpoint by a cop.
Nothing is going to happen unless Reggie is here, son.
Yes, sir.
[sighs.]
Some liaison.
Dean Fairbanks, this is not a good look for Winchester.
The longer this goes on, the worse it gets.
Like a toothy blowjob.
Sir.
There are protocols that the board must go through to review this incident, first being a statement from Reggie.
Maybe we should change the protocols if they favor the person with the gun.
My office is not a town hall.
This incident is under review.
And I have another meeting.
So please, exit! How would you feel if this happened to Troy? Troy would never find himself in this situation.
How can you be so sure? Because I raised him.
[Sam.]
I am not about to let this shit get swept under the rug like Brandy's vehicular manslaughter.
She was never charged.
Does anybody know where Reggie is? - I mean, that's your boy, Sam.
- He just left.
- Is this some sort of protest? - I don't know.
Wait, so you have not spoken to him at all? No.
I haven't.
Okay? I I have a solve.
We'll track him down, and we'll figure this thing out.
It could be anything, okay? We gotta do it right away, though, 'cause political amnesia's a bitch.
All right, when I was a community organizer, we Ooh, check you out, Disney Channel Obama, what did you organize? Uh, as an undergrad, I started the non-GMO Organic Community Garden.
You know, kale, arugula, Cruciferae.
- Cruciferae, huh? - Couldn't just say leafy greens? I say it using SAT words.
And if you guys haven't noticed, outside of these hallowed brick walls, there's a community in a food desert.
I do not believe Cruciferae will solve this problem.
What are we going to do? Right there.
There's our opportunity.
Yeah, we'll form a human blockade.
- Really get their attention.
- [Gabe.]
Mm-hmm.
I'll bring some Beyoncé and blast "Freedom.
" Yeah, I'll get in contact with Black AF and BSU.
We will yell them into submission! Uh huge fan of yelling, you know this, but this time, I was thinking more emphatically stating our case so they want to work with us on fighting systemic racism.
#EmphaticallyStatingOurCase.
Y'all, we have a plan.
Let's move.
And in the meantime, I'll get ahold of Reggie.
- Cool.
- Nice.
- All right.
- See you.
- My darling.
- Yes? Are we still on for coffee? [inhales.]
Ooh.
I'm not asking you to meet my parents.
Just my friends.
I mean, they're starting to think you're imaginary.
Besides, for some wackadoo reason, the more I see you, the more I miss you.
[kisses.]
Nice one.
Okay.
- All right? - Okay.
[chuckles.]
Hey, Reggie, uh, where are you? We all waited for you at the dean's office.
Anyway, um, Gabe came up we came up with this great idea to disrupt the rally tonight.
Uh, call me back ASAP.
You okay? Call me.
[phone beeps.]
[Gabe.]
They're gonna have it, uh um, a quart of organic that actually pumps the air automatically when you plug it in.
It's electric.
- [man.]
That's dope.
- But it's just keys.
It's a keyboard, you know.
- Yeah.
- Oh, hey.
- [Gabe.]
Sam.
- Oh.
- [Gabe.]
Hey.
- [Sam.]
Hey.
Sam, this is Milo - Hey.
Hi.
- [Gabe.]
Vanessa.
- Hey.
- [Sam.]
Hi.
- Nice to meet you.
- [Sam.]
You too.
Your show, brilliant.
- You listen? - Who doesn't? Based on recent events, the administration.
[Vanessa.]
They're really shitting the bed on this one.
I knew we were dealing with institutional racism, but at least have the dignity to coat that shit.
- [Vanessa.]
Hmm.
- [grunts.]
- Anyone's espresso taste off? - [Vanessa.]
No.
It's hard enough for POCs to even get into a place like this.
And then when they do, they're still subjected to the new Jim Crow? What do you expect from a school that still has buildings named after slave owners? Gabe, are you finally paying penance for your parents' support of all the Bushes, including Jeb? [gasps.]
[gasping.]
[Milo.]
Oh, she doesn't know.
Well, this is an Ivy League Capulet and Montague situation right before our eyes.
[Gabe.]
I told you my parents were from New Hampshire, I thought it was implied.
It's a swing state.
- I - [Milo.]
Can you even imagine a Republican Gabe? "Chaz, come summer on my very big boat.
The deck is made of endangered rhino bones.
" [laughing.]
"Roland, you must try the caviar.
It's like the salty tears of poor people.
" [laughing.]
Oh, my God.
[Gabe.]
Oh.
Whew.
I needed that.
I can't imagine what this has been like for you.
Definitely not feeling the school spirit lately.
But we do have a little wake-up call set up for tonight.
Well we're going to form a human blockade at the pep rally and force the conversation.
We need to see actual movement.
No guns, consequences for things like blackface parties and fire that idiot campus cop.
I'm there.
Me too.
Milo, you're skipping Cambodian Woodworking? You love impractical electives.
Heroism requires sacrifice.
Mm, I think I ordered decaf.
[clears throat.]
Have you told Reggie yet? Uh, I I can't get ahold of him.
He's been MIA.
[Vanessa.]
Well, makes sense.
Public victim.
Public what now? Well, in Behavioral Psych, we've been talking about how public victims don't have time to grieve because their trauma is immediately politicized, especially with social media and the 24-hour news cycle.
It's a lot.
They switched to Arabica beans.
[all.]
Ohh.
Reggie.
Yo.
What's up, Sam? [Sam.]
Hey.
I've been looking for you all day.
How are you? Fine.
[scoffs.]
You weren't at the meeting with Fairbanks.
We were all waiting for you.
Got busy.
We might have to reschedule.
Reggie, you're being weird.
Talk to me.
I said I was fine.
That was me, talking.
And it was directed at you.
Can't be more clearer.
Okay.
Well, did you get my messages about breaking up the pep rally? Yep.
All 19 of 'em.
You know, your Beyoncé gifs take up a lot of memory.
Worth it.
Where you going? [Reggie.]
I got somewhere to be.
Okay, well, I'm coming with.
[acoustic guitar playing.]
All this time I've known you, I've never been here.
Come here all the time.
There's no need to hide it.
[Reggie.]
I'm not hiding anything.
Joelle's been here with me a couple times.
Well, don't hesitate to invite me.
- I'm always down for - Shh.
[slow strumming, music fades.]
[feedback whining.]
It's totally crazy what's been going on on campus lately, and I just wanted to do something to help.
I want my pain to heal Winchester.
[percussive funk music playing.]
[Sam.]
What is this, Tyler Perry Presents The Nutcracker? She's raising the roof off of racism.
This is like some Jane Fonda woke aerobics.
All right, girl, time to wrap up 12 Minutes A Slave.
I love you, baby.
[applause.]
They're gonna have really weird sex tonight.
Mm-hmm.
[Sam.]
How many cultures did she appropriate in that set? [Reggie.]
I counted about eight.
Mm, impressive.
[inhales.]
Uh look, I've been processing.
I get it.
Do what you need to do.
Thanks.
Time for open slots.
Anyone have something they want to bring up? [feedback whines.]
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, unless you're loud and black and possess an opinion, then all you get is a bullet, a bullet that held me at bay, a bullet that can puncture my skin, take all my dreams away, a bullet that can silence the words that I speak to my mother just because I'm other, a bullet held me captive.
Gun in my face, your hate misplaced.
White skin, light skin, but for me, not the right skin.
Judging me with no crime committed.
Reckless trigger finger itching to prove your worth by disproving mine, my life in your hands, my life on the line.
Fred Hampton.
Tamir Rice.
Rekia Boyd.
Reggie Green? Spared by a piece of paper, a student ID that you had to see before you could identify me and set me supposedly free.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
For some of us, maybe.
There's nothing self-evident about it.
[applause.]
That was beautiful.
Thank you.
Nah, for real, though.
You were giving me Langston vibes with a splash of Baldwin and the modern-day vulnerability of Frank Ocean.
Except you actually release your art when you plan to.
[chuckles.]
Well, I'm just taking a page out of your book.
You stir shit up.
You're Huey Newton, running up on the state capitol with a bunch of guns, but you do it better with a mic.
Just glad I got the chance to share it with you.
Me too.
I can't believe I've been missing out on this.
[chuckles.]
It's not that big a deal.
It is a big deal.
It was fearless and honest.
You know what? What you said needs to be heard.
What if you shared it at the pep rally tonight? Sam.
Reggie.
Reggie.
We'll make sure the blockade gives you space so you're not interrupted, and we'll even get you a bullhorn.
That poem was for me, not your rally.
It's our rally.
What you said is what everyone else needs to hear.
- Sam.
- [scoffs.]
If you can shake the earth at an open mic, you can shake the whole damn school.
My pain is not your platform.
The whole movement is about pain.
That's why we're out in these streets, because of our pain.
You don't think Martin had pain? You don't think Malcolm had pain? Right now, I just need to be a man and not a movement.
Ever since freshman year, you have done nothing but look to me to be the leader of the movement.
You've put it on me every single day.
Don't you think there's a woman under here? Sam, I didn't mean to put anything on you.
I just believe in you.
I root for you.
When I see you, I see the best in you.
I see a leader.
Well, maybe sometimes, I want you to just see me.
Is that why you chose him? Do you know how hard it was seeing you two together last night, walking home together? You've been stringing me along since the first day I met you.
Never there for me when I needed you.
And last night, I was in a house full of people and I've never felt more alone.
I'm here now, Reggie.
I am here.
Fuck it.
It'll be okay.
Let's just go to the rally.
No.
You stay.
I'll go.
[keys jingle.]
[sighs.]
[lock turning.]
So, um, what are you gonna do? Probably just put on Defamation, do a little hate-watch to get my mind off things.
I should go to the rally.
You know kids like you Ain't supposed to know That the world is broken And the sun is frozen You know kids like you Ain't supposed to feel Like the earth is caving And the world ain't spinning For you You You I bet you never knew, never knew Love could be this bright Ain't it something? Smile or something [phone buzzing.]
[buzzing continues.]
[buzzing stops.]
You look lost You look lost I see you running into the woods With your bright yellow jacket In the woods You look lost, you look lost You look lost If you heard that I'm a threat Then you heard right Shades on, but there ain't a lens For my third eye People are see-through They ain't really trying to learn But you're eating what I feed you 'Cause it's served right People see me and perceive me In the worst light Find it hard to read me I ain't speaking, I observe guys 'Cause people will deceive you I ain't really trying to learn lies Searching for meaning With my burnt eyes When I'm old and I'm gray And I've been through it all Ask me what I've learned I say I've learned life Pick up my book of rhymes, blow it And watch the dirt rise Looking down at earth From a bird's eye Searching, but searching for what? Searching for the purpose, the words And the worth that we lost My eyes ain't awake And my mind's in a place where you can Get what you ask for Every time that you pray