Original subtitles

"And every day, Ruby Bridges

"packed up her books and set off for school.

"She walked past the angry white crowd

"with a smile on her face.

"She just kept on walking,

"because all Ruby wanted to do...

( voice breaking )

was learn."

And that's the story of Ruby Bridges,

the first African-American girl to integrate our public schools.

That was wonderful.

Such an inspiration.

Such a brave young woman.

Thank you, Mrs. Belt, though I wouldn't call myself brave.

I'm just here reading to the kids.

I meant Ruby Bridges.

Oh, right, yes, yes, of course.

Yes, she was brave, yeah.

They wrote a book about her.

Thank you, Mrs. Campbell, for being our parent reader.

Does anyone have any questions or comments for Mrs. Campbell

about our story Ruby Bridges?

Yes, Ashley.

I used to have a dog named Ruby,

but we couldn't keep her 'cause we got a white sofa.

Well, I'm sure Ruby's really happy living on a farm somewhere

with people who love her.

No, she got put to sleep.

Yeah, Kelsey.

My mom says that my cat Jingles in on a farm,

but my brother says she got put to sleep, too.

Mom... when you said

our turtle went to live on a farm,

did you mean put to sleep?

No, no, no, Ritchie. No.

Ernie lives on a turtle farm

with our goldfish.

And, uh... and Great Grandma.

Maybe wrap it up, Mrs. Campbell.

Oh, yes, yes.

Well, I just want to thank all of you

and Mrs. Belt for letting me come here today

to read this important book.

Because you know, if it wasn't for the courage of Ruby Bridges,

we wouldn't have the diversity

that we have in our school today.

Man, you kids are white.

Hey, Christine.

Huh, looks like the village is missing one of its people.

You know, I've been a contractor for 15 years

and you've never not said that joke

when I come in dressed like this.

( laughing ): That's how funny it is.

What are you doing here?

I was working on a house around the block.

Thought I'd come say hi to Ritchie. Where is he?

He's not here. He's at football practice.

Barb is picking him up for me.

Football? Thought he was playing basketball.

No, he doesn't know the difference.

He just likes those orange slices.

What are you doing?

I'm looking for a black kid in the school brochure.

Wow, that's a really offensive "Where's Waldo."

No, it's not a joke, Richard.

You know, there is not one kid of color

in Ritchie's grade.

I think his school is racist.

Here we go.

Here we go? What is that supposed to mean?

It means here we go, you're going to have

one of your racist conspiracy theories.

I don't have racist conspiracy theories.

Really?

Let's recall some of the things you believe are racist:

the news, the people who name the hurricanes,

the winter Olympics.

Maybe you're the racist.

What? I'm not a racist.

I drive a Prius, for God sakes.

I not sure you understand what the word "racist" means.

I know what it means,

and I know that his school has a problem.

The closest thing they have to diversity

is that Indian kid.

They only bring him in once a year

to win the spelling bee.

We got to do something about this.

You? You're going to do something?

Yeah, I do stuff.

I do all sorts of civil rights stuff.

Just because you said you'd marry Chris Rock,

that doesn't make you a civil rights activist.

God, I'd marry Chris Rock in a second.

You know, ever since Ritchie started that school,

all you've done is complain.

Not enough economic diversity, not enough ethnic diversity,

not enough parking.

Hey, I believe in that stuff, okay?

Very strongly.

You didn't even vote.

'Cause I couldn't find parking.

But I did something more important.

I wore one of those little stickers that said, "I voted,"

which shamed other people into going to the polls,

which generated more votes than if I'd actually voted myself,

and that, my friend, is democracy.

That, my friend, is lazy.

Hello.

Oh, hey, there they are.

Thanks for picking him up.

No problem.

Hey, where's the cop and the Indian chief?

( laughing )

Why do you laugh at her?

She's funny.

So how was practice, buddy?

He was great.

He scored two touchdowns. Yeah.

Any for his team?

Not this week.

And the coach let me pass out the orange slices.

I smell scholarship.

All right, sweetie, why don't you go wash up, okay?

Uh, but listen, before you go,

I want to talk to you about what happened at school today.

I didn't know it was the girls' bathroom.

It was a dare.

What?

Nothing.

No, no, sweetie, I'm talking about the book that I read.

Um, you know how important it is to Mommy

that you're exposed to all different people,

races, colors and creeds, right?

Mm-hmm. What are creeds?

Um... uh, a-accents.

But, uh, the point is

that it's important to Mommy

that you're in a racially diverse environment.

Yeah, so important

that you sent him to the White Bread School.

The Westbridge School, Barb, and I had a good reason.

What was the reason?

Because.

Oh, that's right.

Because.

Because why, Christine?

Yeah, why, Mom?

Because... uh, because of...

because "Westbridge offers a unique educational experience

"located on 16 park-like acres

overlooking the Pacific Ocean."

And that's more important

than going to school with black kids?

Oh, they're separate issues, but they're equally important.

So, "separate but equal"?

Yes. No. I don't know.

Ritchie, we'll talk about this later, okay?

Go put your uniform back in your costume trunk.

Okay.

Well, I think we've all really learned something today.

Look, White Bread is a great school.

Westbridge.

Oh, Westbridge, Westbridge.

I mean, they've got an award-winning science program,

they've got a 12-to-1 student-teacher ratio,

and, like, a thousand percent of their graduates

go on to Ivy League colleges.

I mean, obviously, I don't want Ritchie growing up

in an elitist bubble, but it's a great school.

So then you made your choice.

No, I'm going to do something about this.

Chris Rock is already married.

Well, then I'm going to do something else.

So why are you so dressed up.

Well, remember our conversation yesterday?

Well, I'm going to go talk to the head of the school

and see about getting a little diversity in here.

There's black people.

Yes, sweetie, there's black people,

and there's brown people.

There are all sorts of people,

and they should all be represented here at this school.

No, no, no, there's black people over there.

Oh, super.

Oh, um, honey, bye.

Have a good day at school.

Stay out of the girls' bathroom. It was a dare.

Just stay out, Ritchie.

Um, hi.

Can I help you find something?

Oh, we're supposed to be here for a tour.

Our daughter's applying for third grade.

Oh, you're here on a tour.

Oh, that's fantastic.

Well, welcome to Westbridge,

located on 16 park-like acres,

overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Japan.

I don't think that's Japan.

Are you sure?

You didn't go here, did you?

Me? Oh, no, no.

God, it is amazing that you're here,

because I was just talking about you.

Us?

Well, not you specifically.

But you... generally.

You know, us.

You know, people like us.

People like us how?

You know, uh, third graders.

I-I'm Christine Campbell. Hi.

My son Ritchie is in the third grade here, too.

Oh, well, we're the Lawrences.

I'm Anita, this is my husband Nate,

and this is our daughter Sarah.

Oh, hi.

Gosh, it's so nice to meet you.

Listen, do you have a sponsor yet to help you get in?

Because sometimes it helps to have a Westbridge family

put in a good word for you.

We don't know anyone.

Oh, I'd love to sponsor you.

Really? Why?

I'll tell you why.

Because.

( knocking )

Oh, look who's here during work hours.

Hello, Christine.

Hi.

Um, actually I was looking for Mr. Parker.

I have a prospective family

that I wanted to talk to him about.

Well, Mr. Parker's on leave of absence

till the end of the month.

He's at an "educational conference."

Yeah, but you can talk to us.

We' re the parent volunteers on the admissions board.

We give Mr. Parker our recommendations.

In fact, Mr. Parker's going

to the same "educational conference"

that Marly went to.

What's happening with you?

I don't know.

Well, I guess I'll talk to you, then.

Um...

I don't know if you've noticed,

but there's a lot of blondness to the people at this school.

Yeah, and not all of it's natural.

( chuckles )

Seriously, what's happening?

I'm sorry, I really don't know.

Um... anyway,

I think that by having such a homogenous student body

we're robbing our kids of the benefits

of living in a diverse society.

I mean, this is Los Angeles, after all,

and I think we could do a better job of representing

what's on the outside of this school

with what's on the inside,

and so, when picking new families for Westbridge,

I think we should consider a wider variety of factors

and, with that in mind, I'd like to sponsor the Lawrence family.

Okay, well, what can you tell us about the Lawrence family?

They're black.

Ugh. This homework is so frustrating.

I need to clear my mind with a video game.

I'm sure it's not that hard.

Come on. I'll help.

Okay. This one.

Let's see.

"If Bill is taller than Ted, and Ted is smaller than Mary,

which of the following is definitely true?"

Obviously, Bill is taller than Mary.

What?

Can I go play a video game?

Yeah, yeah. Go.

Bill... Ted.

Mary.

Come on.

Problem.

Solution.

I said I'd take action, and I did.

Today I sponsored an African-American family

at Ritchie's school.

Way to go, Rosa.

God, it feels so good to do something for a change.

I'm really proud of you, Christine.

Yeah, me, too.

And my black family was so appreciative,

they invited me over for dinner.

Your black family?

Yeah. I can say that. I sponsored them.

And they'd love to meet you, too, if you want to come.

I can't. I told Ritchie I'd stay and hang out with him tonight.

Oh, that's okay.

I'll ask Matthew. Racist.

Hey, I really insist you learn the meaning of that word.

I know, why don't you ask your black family what it means?

So, Matthew, what do you do?

Oh, I'm a stay- at-home bachelor.

What? No.

He's not. He's my nanny while he figures out

what he wants to do with his life.

MATTHEW: What are you

talking about? It took me six years

to figure out I wanted to be

a stay-at-home bachelor-- I am done.

( laughing )

So the admissions board called and said

you made quite an impassioned plea for us at the school.

Yes, looks like we're going to get in

and we really wanted to thank you.

Oh, you don't have to thank me. I'm not a hero.

I'm just a regular person who happens to do heroic things.

( laughing )

What? I am. Shut up.

No, she's a model citizen.

She would have even voted last year

if it hadn't been mildly inconvenient.

No, no, no, he's kidding. He's kidding.

I'm actually very politically active.

She did make over 200 phone calls

inthe American Idol final last year.

That's true.

Uh, excuse me. Which way's your restroom?

Down the hall to the left.

You know, I've got to tell you.

I loved what I saw at Westbridge today.

We're really excited, I think

we're going to be very happy there.

Oh, yeah, I think you will be, too.

It's a first-rate education.

I mean, the science lab alone is worth the tuition.

What are the families like?

Oh, they're great families, very involved.

Well, would you describe them as having good values?

Good values? Oh, definitely, great values.

I mean, just like us.

MR. LAWRENCE: Good.

'Cause our last school

had way too many fags.

Amen.

I'll clear the dishes.

Let me help.

Excuse me.

I looked through their medicine cabinets.

Nothing interesting.

Big flossers though.

I'm getting out of here.

What's going on?

Nate just said the "F" word.

So? You say that word all the time.

You said it three times in the car on the way over here.

No. The other "F" word.

The gay one.

Fancy? Frilly? Flight attendant? What?

I-I'm not going to say it.

It's too offensive. Here.

I'll write it down.

No way. Yes.

I am serious.

He said the reason they left their last school

is 'cause there are too many of these there.

What school, Oakcrest?

I don't know. Probably.

Anyway, it doesn't matter.

We're getting out of here.

No, hold on, you must've misheard him.

Maybe he said there were too many flags.

What? What are you talking about?

How can there be too many flags?

Well, have you ever tried to have a conversation

in front of the U.N. on a windy day?

You can't hear yourself think.

They're nice people.

There's no way he'd say that.

Yeah, I-I guess you're right.

I mean, educated people

don't blurt these things out at the dinner table.

Right. You must've misheard him.

Yeah. I must've misheard him.

Okay, here we go.

My semi-famous meatless lasagna. Ooh.

I probably should've warned you,

we're vegetarians.

We don't anything with a face.

Well, I'm almost there.

I don't eat anything with a mustache.

( laughs )

So, Nate, what is it that you do?

I work for a defense contractor.

Oh.

I was in the military,

but things have gotten so off track,

I took an early retirement.

Yeah. I don't blame you.

It all went to hell once they started letting in the fags.

Amen.

Well, because I'm concerned.

My son uses your company's textbook in his class

and it's important that it's correct.

Yeah, yeah, I-I...

How the hell can Mary be taller than Bill?

Is she standing on Ted's shoulders?

Me? Two years of community college.

Why does that matter?

Hello...

Hello?

Hey, how'd it go?

Horrible.

Nate Lawrence used the "F" word twice.

So? You used that word twice before breakfast.

You should've heard her in the car.

The ride home was sponsored by the letter "F."

So you're upset because the guy cursed?

No, it' wasn't just a curse, Richard.

It was the other "F" word, the gay one.

Fabulous? Flamboyant? France?

Wow, that one.

He said the reason they left their last school

was 'cause there were too many of these there.

Oakcrest? We think so.

They do have a great theater program.

I know. I saw their production of Pippin last year.

It was to die for.

Oh, I heard it was great.

Guys. Guys, can we just focus.

The whole reason that I sponsored the Lawrences

was so that Ritchie could be in a more tolerate environment.

All right, they're homophobes.

I don't want him around that.

So you're going to try to kick out

the only black family in Ritchie's class?

I just wish the Lawrences were more like us.

Ah, so you want to be able to handpick your tokens.

Don't put it like that.

That's completely offensive.

You know what?

I'm going to call Barb and see if she

knows any good black people.

You want me to what?

I just need you to help me find

some good black people for Ritchie's school.

Why?

What are they going to do with them?

Nothing. Just to have their kids go to school there.

I sponsored this one family

but then they turned out to be homophobic.

I want different ones.

Well, did you keep the receipt?

Christine, that's racist.

What? That's not racist.

How can I be racist?

I drive a Prius.

Oh, oh, yes, that's right.

I forgot how much racists hate good gas mileage.

You know what I mean.

I want Ritchie exposed to good values.

It would be so perfect if you and Pete had kids.

Damn Pete and his low sperm motility.

Yeah, Pete and I are always talking

about how hard that must be on you.

Poor Christine.

Shut up.

Listen to me, I just want to do the right thing for my kid.

And you did, you introduced some color

into that lily-white school and that's progress.

Look, you can deal with the gay thing on your next crusade.

It's true.

I do love gay causes.

I used to drive a Miata, for God's sake.

It's hard this year.

There's so many qualified applicants.

I know, but it's important

so we really have to focus. Okay.

Okay.

Where did you get those shoes?

I've had them.

Sweater? It's new.

Want to go shopping? God, yes.

Oh, hi, ladies. Hi.

Sorry to bother you again, but I wanted

to talk to you about a prospective family.

It's okay, Christine, the Lawrences got in.

You don't have to burn your bra.

Uh, not it's not the Lawrences.

Although I'm very glad they got in.

I think the kids are really going to benefit.

Um, actually, I have another couple

that I wanted to introduce you to.

Uh, guys, come, come.

Um, this is Frank and Allan.

They're transferring out of Oakcrest.

Yeah, it's a great school but too many Jews.

Oh, damn it.

( bell ringing )

I'll tell you what. It's exhausting being a do-gooder.

What good did you do exactly?

What good did I do?

I single-handedly...

introduced hate to this school.

See, this is why I don't vote.

Oh, come on, don't be so hard on yourself.

This is a beautiful school.

If I had a kid, I would send them here.

Yeah, I know.

But I mean, we didn't go to a big fancy school,

we did okay, right?

Yeah.

But what a view. Mm.

It's so clear today. Yeah.

Hey, it that Japan?

No. That's not Japan.

It's too far.

Hawaii? Yeah, probably.