FADE IN: A YING-YANG SYMBOL Slowly PULL BACK TO REVEAL.... EXT. SALISBURY UNIVERSITY - GAZEBO - AFTERNOON The symbol on a necklace around the neck of -- MICHAEL, black, 30 though looks young for his age - could pass for 25. He sits alone in the beautiful and spacious school gazebo. He's nicely dressed and "clean" looking. Various school related paperwork lies on his lap. Nearby is an elegant, leather briefcase with his name inscribed on it. Michael listens to jazz music on headphones, tapping his classy leather shoes in rhythm with music. Michael takes sips from his Pepsi, looks around the empty and quiet campus. No persons are in sight and only a couple cars are in the parking lot, giving the campus a "ghost-town" effect. It's so dead, he notices a couple squirrels snacking on acorns. In the far distance he see an old lady walking her dogs. He finished up his drink and looks at his watch. He sees it is 1pm and begins to slowly gathering up his belongings. MICHAEL (to himself) I've been here long enough. I'll continue this stuff tomorrow. (pause) Too nice of a day to spend it doing paperwork! Suddenly, Michael notices -- A group of prepping-looking (male) students exit the nearby University Center. He watches them as they -- Light up cigarettes, discuss school related matters. They don't notice Michael in the Gazebo about 200 feet away and assume they are alone on this (apparently) dead campus. MICHAEL (to himself) Looks like I'm not the only soul on campus. (chuckles) Michael continues gathering his things as he hears a car enter the parking lot, blasting rap music. By the time Michael decides to looks up, the car has parked. He watches -- Two students, a black male and white female, exit the vehicle. They hold hands and show affection for each other as they walk towards the University Center. The black student is muscular and looks intimidating, he is dressed hip (like a rapper) but he is wearing a backpack and holding books. The girl he is with, looks like the stereotypical white female obsessed with the hip-hop culture. Her hair style resembles that of a black girls and her skin is slightly tanned. Her tank-top, showcases her nice breasts and waist cleavage. She is wearing really tight jeans and her nice ass is obvious. Michael can't help but stare, not because the couple is interracial but because the girl is attractive. He watches -- Her walk past the cigarette smoking boys and enter the University Center. The boys look at the couple in disgust and one of them intentionally blows his smoke in their direction. BOYS P.O.V. The couple doesn't realize this was a deliberate act and the female coughs a couple times as they both enter the building. ON MICHAEL MICHAEL (turned on) Man, that's it! I'm going to the beach, see some more of that! Michael continues packing his belongings (this time with more speed). He's motivated and ready for the beach. Michael wants to see the ladies and enjoy the rare, nice weather, like any young-single man would. Suddenly, Michael freezes in shock when he overhears the cigarette smoker's shift their conversation. MALE STUDENT #1 I hate those type of people man! MALE STUDENT #2 How them they always get the finest white women? Better yet...why do white women like them and their culture? At this point, Michael realizes his presence is unknown to the boys. Stunned by what his ears are hearing, he continues listening to the racist rhetoric. MALE STUDENT #3 (angry and mumbling softly) Niggers! MICHAEL (to himself) I know I didn't just hear the 'N' word? MALE STUDENT #3 Their all good for nothing! Michael decides he's going to confront the young me. He puts the last of his paperwork in his briefcase. He puts on a pair of sunglasses and exits the gazebo. EXT. SALISBURY UNIVERSITY - GUERERI UNIVERSITY CENTER The boys are chain-smokers and fire up more cigarettes. They abruptly stop conversing as they see -- Michael heading in their direction. They boys look shocked when they realize he was in the gazebo and possibly overheard their offensive dialog. Michael plays it cool and greets the boys with a warm smile. He removes a Newport and joins the boys in smoking. The young men are stunned to see a tall smiling black man wearing sunglasses, smoke with them. MICHAEL How ya doing, fellas? The boys eye each other. MICHAEL (cont'd) I couldn't help overhearing your little conversation and decided to join you guys. Now, who was the one talking about 'they're all good for nothing?' No one says a word. Michael notices the nervous gestures of the young men as they eye each other. The boys are disgusted, mostly intimidated by Michael's intruding presence, and want him gone. MALE STUDENT #3 It was me. Is there a problem, man? MICHAEL I just wanted to know why you felt that way. By the way, my name is Michael. Michael extinguishes his cigarette then extends his hand to the young man, who of course, doesn't shake it. MALE STUDENT #3 (dryly) I'm Chris. . . MICHAEL Alrighty, you don't have to shake my hand, Chris. (Pulls his hand back) Wanna introduce your friends? The blond haired young man (MALE STUDENT #1) breaks his silence. MALE STUDENT #1 Darren. Finally the student wearing the NIKE cap introduces himself. MALE STUDENT #2 I'm Carter. How come you were in that gazebo spying on our conversation? MICHAEL It's a beautiful day so I decided to review my papers outside. I wasn't spying but when I heard the 'N' word, I had to see what was going on. CHRIS (angrily) Well. . .what do you want? Chris folds his arms he is annoyed with Michael's presence. Michael notices Chris has the worst attitude and biggest mouth out of the gang. Michael can't help but grin slightly when he notices Chris has a booger hanging from nice nose. MICHAEL Just wanted to know why you feel the way you do. Think we can have an intellectual discussion on this matter without throwing blows? Chris looks at his friends, who don't show any objection. The boys blaze up another cigarette. CHRIS Alright, your on. We got some time. So, you want to know why I don't like you people? Michael nods. MICHAEL Yep. You obviously didn't like that blond kissing that black dude. CHRIS I just believe white should be with white, black should be with black. Matter of fact, I believe all races should be separated, especially for the sake of the white race. With all this racial mixing, the white race won't even exist in the next 50 years or so. Michael "acts" surprised. MICHAEL Oh really? How should we separate? CHRIS (while clearing his throat) Well. . . (pause) It's simple. Since our white forefathers discovered this great nation, all white people should stay here in America. Anyone of African descent should go back to Africa and all the other races should go back to where ever they originally came from. Simple as that. MICHAEL Why do whites get to stay? How come you guys can't take your butts back to Europe? CHRIS Because America wouldn't be what it is today without white people! MICHAEL Really? Seems to me if there were any group of people who had rights to America it would be the American Indian. CHRIS To hell with that! White people built this nation, so we stay here! MICHAEL (sternly) On the backs of slaves and Indians! (pauses) How do you determine "white", anyway? How far back in a person's family genetic history should we go? If you discovered a white man had a great-grandfather who was Indian or maybe Hispanic, is that man still considered white? Chris is stumped. He thinks a little before finally replying. CHRIS Well, yes! MICHAEL What about a black great-great grandmother? Chris turns away from Michael while rapidly scratching his head. He is unsure how to respond. CHRIS If the person looks and acts white, he's white, dammit! MICHAEL Italian? Romanian? Albino? Are they part of the "promised people", too? CHRIS Dear Lord. . .slow down. Your talking fast like those damn rapper people! Michael's quick replies / rapid responses are catching Chris off guard and literally pissing him off. MICHAEL What about Russian descent? Croatian? Michael's sarcastic replies are really irritating Chris. Darren nor Carter know how to respond to Michael's good questions, so they kept quiet to avoid looking dumb. Michael knows he is irritating Chris, this is his plan. MICHAEL Don't get mad, "homey" (jokingly), I'm just trying to figure this out. So what do we do about bi-racial people? What about people like Keanu Reeves or Halle Berry? Halle Berry is mixed with white and black; Keanu Reeves looks white but isn't. Are they included? CARTER (angrily/shocked) What the hell do you mean Keanu Reeves isn't white? That dude is so white! MICHAEL EEEEEEAAAAHHHH (imitating a game show buzzer) Wrong answer! That man is tri racial, buddy! He's part Chinese, Hawaiian, and white. If you don't believe me, feel free to look it up for yourself. Knowledge is power, guys. Michael sees a disgusted look on Chris's face. Chris shakes his head, also unaware the star from his favorite movie The Matrix was racially mixed. MICHAEL So what do you think should be done about these "rainbow people? Hell, what about those mixed with five different races or more in one? I know what we can do to them. We can banish all people who are "mixed up" to some remote island out in the Pacific Ocean somewhere. How do that sound to y'all boys? What about that? The undeniably annoyed look on Chris's face delights Michael. Chris doesn't know how to rebut this question. CHRIS (sternly) I will say again, whoever is white with Aryan blood should be with white people in one place separated from everyone else. Period! You understand? Michael nods his head, dissatisfied but amused by Chris's short, hesitant responses. Michael is surprised at how easy it is to rattle him. The other young men seemed to be enjoying the debate, but still chose to let Chris do most of the talking. MICHAEL (sarcastically) Alright, I'll leave it at that since you so eloquently explained your position. (pauses) Let's just say you have this fantasy world of every race in America deciding to separate and "go back" to their supposed homeland. That would mean every minority group would have to quit their professions, think about it. . . doctors, lawyers, athletes, judges, police officers, teachers, etc - somehow make arrangements to move to their new lands; pray there's room in their new country to live; sell their houses or break their leases; fly to where ever they supposedly originated from and set up shop there, right? Oh yeah, get a divorce or annulment if they're in a interracial relationship with a white person. Chris, beginning to feel a little stupid and embarrassed, avoids making eye contact with Michael, and looks down as he whips out and ignites another cigarette. Chris' uncomfortable gestures are amused Michael. MICHAEL (V.O.) (his thoughts) I bet this man is beginning to hear what I'm talking about. CHRIS (voice trailing) Yup. Whatever you say. . . Michael nods his head again, pretending to agree with him. MICHAEL Alrighty, then. Let's just look at what would happen to America in the meantime: considering a large number of Americans are minorities, don't you think that would kill the American economy? All the 'great' white people would have to pickup the workload left by their "unworthy" minority counterparts and work three times as hard, right? With this great shifting of people from this country to another, the economy would plummet because of the buying and labor power us minorities have. Don't you think? CHRIS (confident) White people will definitely survive. We always have. MICHAEL Maybe, but most businesses would suffer greatly because of the immediate loss of labor and profit. Shoot, California alone would be in some serious turmoil because just recently whites there because a minority. Michael notices -- Each of their eyebrows rise on their foreheads. Chris tries to look as stone-faced as he can, but -- Michael can tell he was acknowledging the things he pointed out; things Chris probably never thought hard about. MICHAEL What about the military? This is a military city with a Naval Air Station. Think what would happen if minorities had to pack up and leave. The entire military is short of people as it is. I have a friend in the Navy and he works as an Electrician's Mate. His work center is undermanned as it is, but most of the people he works with are minority. My friend is white and it doesn't seem to bother him, though. Darren nods his head. DARREN Yeah, my brother's in the Navy and he has a chief that's Filipino and a supervisor who's black. Chris makes an evil face at Darren. MICHAEL Yep, I believe it! If things go down the way you want them to, there wouldn't be a military or a healthy labor force in America. The market would crash, there would be a recession, depression, and crime would go up! But good ole' boy Chris here would be sipping on Jack Daniels and dipping Redman with his dirty feet up on his bare kitchen table happy as hell 'cause (imitating a redneck) we got dem dere niggers and wetbacks outta here! Yee Haw! Chris's friends can't help but chuckle at Michael's exaggerated southern accent. CHRIS I don't care what you say, blacks have made no major contributions at all. Whites have historically been the main innovators of every major achievement in America. I don't know of any black inventors, except that black dude who invented hair grease and Jerri Curl juice. (Sarcastically) Gotta be proud of that, huh? Chris' friends laugh out loud. Surprisingly, Michael laughs along with them, even claps his hands loudly. MICHAEL (chuckling) Jerri Curl juice, huh? Back in the day I use to sport one of those. I bet you had your bad hair days, too. You probably sported one of those 'Flock of Seagulls' haircuts, huh? Chris grins. CHRIS Yeah, well, hair is the only thing you guys are good at, besides sports. MICHAEL Well, tell me, how do you really know blacks have never made any contributions? Where do yo get your information? Chris shrugs his shoulders. CHRIS Because, it's a well know fact. It ain't like blacks invented anything significant or made any valuable contributions to this society. Michael looks down at -- Chris's hand as he removes another cigarette and noticed a Band-Aid on his right thumb. MICHAEL Blacks never invented anything significant, huh? (pauses) It's ironic for you to say that because some of the things you have on you remind me of black innovation. Chris frowns. CHRIS (crying out) Yeah right! (pauses) Man, like what? MICHAEL I notice you have a Band-Aid on your thumb. How'd you cut yourself? CHRIS (confused) Cut myself working on my car. Why? MICHAEL Well, the Band-Aid on your hand reminds me of a man named Charles Richard Drew. Ever heard of him? CHRIS Nope. MICHAEL Of course you haven't. He was the first director of the American Red Cross blood bank and a pioneer in blood preservation. The model he established for blood banks used by Red Cross back then are still being used today. CHRIS (unimpressed) Oh, is that right? MICHAEL He helped establish the concept of blood banks that served American troops and its allies during World War II, saving thousands of lives. Chris frowns. CHRIS I bet you're going to tell me he's black, right? MICHAEL (rapidly) Yes, sir! Michael points towards Chris's cell phone. MICHAEL You got a nice lookin' cell phone there. Reminds of a named Henry T. Sampson. Ever heard of him? CHRIS Can't say that I have. MICHAEL Of course you haven't. He was an engineer who's co-invention laid the groundwork to the cellular phone. Another black man, I'm afraid. Chris appears agitated. His friends remain quiet, but show interest. CHRIS This is pure crap, straight garbage. You can't pro. . . MICHAEL (interrupting) Prove it? Yes, I can, but why don't you prove it to yourself, "Mr. Whitey Almighty"? Look it up on the internet or something. You're into computers, right? CHRIS (smirking) Yes, I am. I bet there weren't any black pioneers in computer technology, were there? MICHAEL Phillip Emeagwali, he designed a program and formula for the fastest computer in the world. He won the Gordon Bell award in the late 80's, which is like the Pulitzer prize for computer technology. In fact, he was one of 20 people to win Pioneer of the Internet award in 1999. Sounds like a pioneer to me. Chris glares at Michael with evil eyes. Again, he is caught off guard. MICHAEL I like the shirt with the Ferrari and the Big Johnson character in it. I especially like the way it shows him speeding past the streetlights and stuff. The streetlights remind me of a man named Garret Morgan. Ever hear. . . CHRIS (interrupting) NO! (Very irritate) What, you're going to tell me he invented the Ferrari?? MICHAEL (calmly) No, I'm not saying that, but if it wasn't for him, there probably would be a lot more car crashes going on right about now. CHRIS And what do you mean by that? MICHAEL Well, my man Garret was the inventor of America's first patented street signal. His invention was used through out America until the red, yellow, and green traffic lights used today superceded his invention. Know what else he invented? Chris doesn't reply but Carter, who is interested, speaks up. CARTER (eagerly) What else did he invent, Michael? MICHAEL The gas mask. IN the early 1900's he made big news when he rescued several men who were trapped in an underground tunnel from an explosion because he used his gas mask. His gas mask received a lot attention after that, from the fire department and even the military; matter of fact, the military refined his masks for use in World War I to defend against poisonous gases, like mustard gas. Chris can't believe what he's hearing, but he tries to remain calm. He doesn't want to look defeated, but he begins to feel it. CHRIS Alright, man. There may have been a few intelligent black people over. . . MICHAEL A few?! Man, there were many more than a few. You just said blacks never invented anything significant. I only mentioned four individuals who helped save thousands of lives in World War I and II; dramatically improved traffic safety; made major contributions to high speed computer networking; and gave individuals the ability to make phone calls when and where ever they choose. Don't get me started on Benjamin Banneker, Lewis Latimer, Daniel H Williams, or George Washington Carver. One can only imagine how many other great black men and women there would've been if it weren't for racism and stupid Jim Crow laws. I can go on, though. CHRIS (dryly) I bet you can. MICHAEL And how can you say blacks haven't made any contributions to society? Blacks have fought and died for this country in every American war, all the while enduring the hatred and discrimination from their white counterparts. It was like racists were saying 'yea, we need you to fight this war for us and die for your country, but we're still going to treat you like crap in the process.' The bravery of those American soldiers to fight for a country that hated them boggles my mind. Blacks were called upon to fight for freedoms they were not allowed to enjoy, and yet, they still fought. To fight and die for your country under those conditions is the ultimate contribution, don't you think? Chris doesn't answer and neither does his friends. Michael watches -- Chris' eyes look down as if he was ashamed. Chris shifts around uncomfortably and lights up another cigarette. He doesn't want Michael to know he agrees with him because that would mean conceding defeat. Chris prefers to stick to his guns. CHRIS Alright, man. Yeah, there might have been some intelligent blacks over the years and blacks did fight in wars, but I still think blacks are generally not as smart as whites. You guys have consistently failed on standardized tests, like the SAT and IQ tests. How come you people always get low IQ scores? Michael smiles and shakes his head. He knew this question was coming. Michael thinks for a minute then replies. MICHAEL You know, I was reading an article on IQ tests and why blacks score lower on them; it stated blacks traditionally score about 15 points lower on tests than European Americans. It talked about how conservatives say this proves genetic inferiority while liberals were saying the results were the results of 300 years of slavery and another 130 years of segregation and institutionalized racism. CHRIS (smirking) We're just smarter that's all. MICHAEL An interesting point was made in the article, one I was not aware of. It stated that the Korean minority in Japan scored lower than the Japanese majority. Japanese perceived them as stupid and violent. Same thing happened with the Polish Jews in America in the late 1800's. They were also perceived as stupid and violent. As a result of wide-spread discrimination and the lack of equal opportunity for these two groups of people, their IQ scores were lower. Chris shakes his head vigorously while rolling his eyes, annoyed by Michael's intellectual dialog. CHRIS Where the hell do you get this crap? Discrimination had nothing to do with it! Whites are just smarter! MICHAEL Is that so? (smiling) That same report also stated east Asians generally score higher on IQ scores than whites, sir. Does that mean whites are genetically inferior to Asians? Again, Chris doesn't answer. Carter smiles and looks away so his seething friend won't notice. Chris's friends could tell Chris was highly irritated by Michael's responses. Carter secretly admires the way Michael is able to rebut everything Chris dished out at him. MICHAEL There is plausible evidence to suggest economic conditions and learning environments greatly affect standardized test scores, not genetics. But, you know what? High IQ scores does not guarantee success just as low IQ scores does not guarantee failure. I believe highlighting the IQ gaps between whites and blacks reinforces the negative stereotypes blacks deal with on a daily basis. Blacks who struggle to make better lives for themselves just like everybody else in this country are constantly reminded of inferiority beliefs. You reminded me of it today. DARREN Well, at least you people are athletic. Whites can never compete with you guys." Michael shakes his head to their surprise. MICHAEL I don't think blacks are more athletic. I believe that's a myth blown up by the media. CARTER (aghast) You don't think blacks are more athletic? MICHAEL Nope. Tell me something though: how do you define "more athletic", anyway? Carter shrugs his shoulders. Michael looks over at -- Darren and Chris, but neither know how to answer. MICHAEL Is it how high you jump? How fast you run? How well you drive a sports car? How far you kick a ball? How can you measure athleticism when there are so many sports that encompasses different ways to perform? DARREN Well, you guys dominate all sports that have anything to do with jumping high or running fast. Blacks dominate sports like football, basketball, and track & field. MICHAEL Is that right? If you notice, you mentioned three sports that get a lot of television coverage-- reinforcing the myth that blacks are physically advanced. Whites tend to dominate sports you hardly ever see on American television like Greco-American wrestling, swimming, diving, or rugby. What about tennis, hockey, golf, and extreme sports? Yes, you do see the phenomenon of those sisters in tennis and Tiger in golf, but as a whole, you guys still dominate those sports. DARREN Yeah, but who cares about those sports? When we think of true athleticism, I think people picture a gifted athlete who can do crazy things with his body. I mean, look at Michael Jordan! The man can basically fly! MICHAEL Why? Because he can jump high? DARREN Definitely. MICHAEL Cuz he can run fast? DARREN Well, yeah! MICHAEL Cuz he got mad skills, as they say? DARREN YES! MICHAEL Then how do you explain the athletic feats of white gymnasts? DARREN Well, uh. . . Darren can't respond. Chris remains quiet, still unwilling to talk. Carter ponders the question. MICHAEL In my opinion, gymnasts are the most gifted athletes in the world. What about the stuff they can do with their bodies? I saw a guy do a double layout back flip on the floor exercise one time. To do something like that, you have to be very fast, pretty damn strong, and can jump to the ceiling ----and have mad skills. How come when people talk about the athletic feats of blacks they fail to mention the athleticism of white gymnasts? CARTER Probably because we hardly see those sports, like you said. You only see them like every other Saturday or during the Olympics. You're right, though, the stuff they can do is crazy. MICHAEL Yup! What do you think, Chris? You haven't said anything in awhile. Chris just shrugs his shoulders. DARREN Why do you suppose blacks are so good at football and basketball, then? MICHAEL Well, I think alot of blacks feel we're supposed to be good at those sports. Growing up, I was a little black kid who believed that same stereotype--- that black people were more athletic and no white boy should ever be able to run faster or jump higher than me. Coaches, teachers, older blacks, and whites, who also believed that stereotype, had me believing it, too. Unfortunately, a lot of inner city black males feel the same way. They feel the only way to be successful in life is to strive to go pro. They don't see any other way, except to dedicate hours on honing their athletic skills. A lot of whites see sports as a hobby; a lot of blacks see sports as a way of survival. No one responds or comments on Michael's statements. Michael looks at each of their pensive faces. No one speaks up, so he decides to continue. MICHAEL You know, so many so-called scientific studies have been used to distinguish the athletic abilities of blacks and whites. First, Hitler said the Aryan race was supposedly far superior physically than any other race, but Jesse Owens proved that wrong. Then, supposedly blacks didn't have the lung capacity for long distance running; Kenyans destroyed that myth. Then the stupidest myth of them all: blacks don't have the mental capacity to be in a quick thinking position, such as the NFL quarterback. Do you know how many starting black quarterbacks in the league now, Chris? CHRIS (uninterested) Nope. MICHAEL Seven, not to mention many talented reserve quarterbacks. Twenty-five years ago that was unheard of. Now, ironically, black quarterbacks are revolutionizing the role with their quickness and scrambling ability - and they can throw, too. Know what else? The incredible thing is nobody's making a big fuss about it. That myth is finally dead. Too bad that can't be said for black coaches. Chris comes back to life. CHRIS (really irate) You know you guys always got something to complain about. If it ain't the quarterbacks, it's coaches. Soon you'll be talking about the lack of black general managers. Get over it! Be happy with what you got! MICHAEL Hell, no, I won't be happy, the same crap happening with black coaches happens all around American companies. It's sad to see there's still a good ole' boy network out there. It's messed up when you got dozens of blacks qualified for head coaching positions, but they continually get passed over. There have been only four black coaches in the NFL and each one of them had success. Damn, how much do we have to prove? CHRIS I know one thing you guys prove time and time again, you guys prove you can't be productive members of society. What is in your people to act violently in every situation? What's the statistic? Isn't there one in three black men in jail? Pretty messed up statistics! MICHAEL You're right, those are messed up statistics. But guess what? Two out of three black aren't in jail. I like those statistics better. CHRIS Whatever, man. Black men seem to have a need to create chaos. You guys are always in trouble, whether it's rioting, killing each other, or raping somebody. It's almost like it's in your DNA to be violent! Black males created that stereotypical image all themselves because it's true! MICHAEL (acting surprised) Oh really? Well, is there anything in the white male's DNA that makes them serial killers? Serial killers in general are usually white males, ala Ted Bundy. And what about pedophiles? I was reading an article regarding an FBI report on child porn trafficking, and it stated the perpetrators are almost always white males --- between the ages of 25 and 45. Do I need to mention school and post office shootings and terrorist attacks on Federal buildings and abortion clinics? Chris grunts. He didn't expect Michael to respond so quickly as usual. CHRIS What about the L.A. riots! There were blacks and Mexicans every where acting like animals, looting and tearing the place up! You people riot every time you get together! White people don't riot! Michael laughs -- Further irritating Chris. His two friends could sense Michael would have a quick comeback to Chris's statements. They are right -- MICHAEL (chuckling) Can you say 'soccor games? what about the riots that often occur at soccer games? You hear about soccer game violence all the time. Fans at soccer games fight just for the hell of it in Europe! There was a stampede in the late 80's that killed 90-plus people at a soccer game in England. So, you can talk about this bad image black men supposedly have in this society, but it seems to me white males created a bad image for themselves, too! I'm scared of you guys! Darren and Carter chuckle. Even Chris grins a little, although he was trying to hide by putting his head down and lighting another cigarette. Darren and Carter no longer want to debate with Michael because they can't help liking the guy. They admire his wit and debating skills that continuously keep Chris frustrated. Chris also has admiration for him (although trying to hide it) and actually thinks more about what Michael and cares about what he's saying. Chris took a deep breath and sighs. CHRIS Alright, man, you made your point, but you gotta admit, you guys seem to complain about everything. That's one of reasons why a lot of white people are so angry. Every time I turn on the television I hear about some so-called black leader calling for the government to apologize for crap that happened a hundred years ago. Or I hear about some black dude claiming racism for being fired from his job. You guys give the impression racism is the cause for all your problems. Michael nodded his head, so does Carter and Darren. MICHAEL (hesitantly) I agree! Believe it or not, sometimes I wonder if some of my black folks cry racism too much. I mean, when a black NBA player cries racism for getting suspended after choking his coach, that's bull! Anyone who cries racism when they know damn well they messed up is making excuses for not taking responsibility for his actions. I hate hearing sorry excuses from black folks as much as racist remarks from white folk. Chris is wide-eyed with surprise. CHRIS (shocked) I'm a little surprised you're admitting to that! Know what I really hate? When some black people blame all their problems on the white man! Michael nods. MICHAEL I don't like lame excuses like that, either, but at the same time I understand why a lot of brothers have such a negative outlook on life, especially inner city blacks. When you grow up in an environment filled with crime, drugs, and murder, I can see how a person can feel hopelessness. If you're poor and struggling to stay alive on a daily basis, you gotta do what you gotta do. Unfortunately, a lot of brothas can't see light at the end of the tunnel when there's nothing but despair. Some inner city kids see more death than a lot of people see in a lifetime. Can you even imagine being a kid knowing you may not live to see 21? CARTER Pretty messed up, man! MICHAEL Yeah. You see, there's a lot of crap you guys don't deal with purely because of your skin color. A lot of stuff you'd expect to be automatic and simple, like getting a taxi or driving on the highway in your car. That stuff doesn't always comes so easily to blacks and other minorities, man. One time in D.C, I came out of a nightclub at about two in the morning and there were taxis every where. It still took me two hours to get a taxi! I walked up to this one taxi and he actually locked the doors and drove off! I was shocked! CHRIS (surprisingly calm) So, that happened to you too, huh? I always hear that stuff but never believed it. MICHAEL It happens, man, whether you believe it or not. The stuff black people been 'complaining' about, like police brutality and racial profiling, have finally come to light. A lot of people are now seeing what we we've been talking about all along. If you've forgotten, there was a black man shot 41 times, unarmed. The stereotype of us as criminals still exist, no matter how educated or wealthy we may be. I got a job, go to school and never broke the law, yet I'm still labeled as innately lazy, stupid, and criminal. It gets frustrating, man. The three young man are still and quiet - deep in thought. Michael looks down at his watch and is surprised to see that two hours has passed while he spoke with the three gentlemen. MICHAEL Oh, damn, I gotta go. Beach is calling." None of the boys say a word. Chris still seems to be consumed in his thought while his two friends extinguish their cigarettes and prepare to go inside. Michael looks down at Chris and noticed the reflective gaze in his face. MICHAEL Look, man, you can hate me and people who look like me all you want, but that will only cause you stress and frustration because minorities in general aren't going anywhere. I'm sorry to break the news to you. People who believe in racial separation need to put the brakes on that pipe dream and kick some reality in high gear. That crap just ain't gonna happen, homie. Now we can argue about IQ tests and inferiority crap all night, but what exactly will that prove? All white people aren't racist, just like all blacks aren't criminals. We as American people need to work together and not against each other because nine times out of ten, we'll be side by side with someone of another race; whether it's on the job or on a team. What do you say? Michael extends his hand to Chris. Chris slowly lifts his hand and shakes it with a firm grip, his eyes look into Michael's with respect. MICHAEL By the way, my name is Michael Lawrence. I'll see you in my class next week. Chris is stunned. CHRIS You're Michael Lawrence, the Networking Essentials instructor? MICHAEL Yup. CHRIS How did you know I'm in your class? MICHAEL Saw it on your semester schedule on your notebook. You just never know who you're talking to, do you?" FADE OUT: