Original subtitles

Man: The President of the United States and Mrs. King.

Bow: On November 2, 1983,

Ronald Reagan signed a bill

making Martin Luther King Jr. Day

an official federal holiday --

no thanks to the states who voted against it.

Yeah, we're looking at you, Nebraska, Utah, North Carolina,

Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Dakota.

But when it finally happened,

my dad couldn't have been more excited.

Happy first official Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Is this a holiday where we get gifts?

Not this one.

Then I'm out.

Dad, you're still coming to speak

at the assembly today, right?

Did Coretta Scott King babysit John Lithgow?

Yes, she did.

And yes, I am.

I've been looking forward to this for weeks.

Great.

I can't wait for you

to share your Dr. King stories with my friends.

Aw. [ Telephone rings ]

Oh. I got this.

And I'll see you kids at the assembly.

Alicia: Have a good day at school. Hello?

Denise: Bye, kids.

Let me get this straight --

the school is just gonna let the Duke of Caucasia

be the spokesperson for a black holiday?

It's not a black holiday. It's an American holiday.

And everyone should be celebrating

what Dr. King did for this country.

And Paul is probably the only person in this town

who knew him personally.

So?

Don't nobody want to hear about civil rights

from a man who wear a puka shell necklace.

[ Receiver clicks ] You're not gonna believe this,

but that was a reporter with the Gazette.

They want to come by this afternoon

to interview me about Dr. King!

They're sending over a photographer and everything.

You've got to be kidding me.

Honey, have you seen my formal shells?

Top drawer.

♪ In the mix ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, they keep trying ♪

♪ But they can't stop us ♪

♪ 'Cause we got a love ♪

♪ That keeps rising up ♪

♪ In the mix ♪

♪ Life turns around ♪

♪ 'Round and 'round it goes ♪

♪ Ooh, it's a mixed-up world ♪ ♪ Ooh, it's a mixed-up ♪

♪ And that's for sure ♪ ♪ Mixed-up ♪

♪ In the mix ♪ ♪ Baby ♪

♪ We're gonna get by ♪ ♪ We're gonna ♪

♪ On our own, side by side ♪

♪ Love's all we need to be free ♪ ♪ Lo-o-o-ve is all ♪

♪ I got you, you got me ♪

♪ Yaaaaay us! ♪

♪ I-I-In the mix ♪

♪ Yaaaaay us! ♪

♪ I-I-In the mix-ish ♪

Ah, this is exactly how I wanted to spend

the first Martin Luther King Jr. day --

talking about the man and his message of hope.

How is that different from any other day?

The March on Washington -- now, that was a power walk.

I should know. I was there.

♪ There was a man who led a march ♪

♪ And King-O was his name-o ♪

♪ K-I-N-G-O ♪

Loretta?

My good friend's wife's name is Coretta.

You might have heard of him? Martin Luther King?

You are not the right person for this, Paul.

It wasn't called the civil whites movement.

Whatever.

You know, what we do today

will set the tone for all future Martin Luther King Jr. Days,

so we have to get it right.

Well, that's why I convinced Harrison to allow the firm

to spend today doing pro bono civil rights cases.

Oh, honey, that is so great.

We should all be doing our part today.

Mm-hmm.

So, Denise, what are you doing on this first

federally recognized Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

What'd you say? Huh?

She had planned on getting her nails done.

W-Well...today...

I shall aid Alicia with her pro bono pursuits.

Oh, you don't have to. Yes, I will.

Please don't. I'll see you there.

[ Door closes ] Morning, hippies. Paul: Hey, hey.

Since today is a double Sunday, I'm gonna spend it on the links.

Have you seen my 5-iron?

You still needed that?

Yeah. It's part of a set.

What about the pro bono cases?

You were serious? I thought that was just something you say.

Like when I tell bums I don't have money.

I always have money.

I was serious. We barely do any at the firm.

You don't want to help the community?

No, I want to make money.

Paul, let's go! My tee time awaits!

Wait. There is a way we can make more money from this.

I'm listening.

You know the media eats this stuff up.

We can get on the 7:00 news.

The PR alone is worth the billable hours.

Fine. I will give you half a day

to drum up some free advertising.

But since this might go sideways,

I'm gonna keep my tee time.

Okay.

MLK Day.

Should have set up shop in Nebraska or Utah or Iowa

or North Carolina or New Hampshire.

Bye, dirty stairs.

Bye, Milk Day poster.

Bye, puke-green walls.

Why are you saying goodbye?

Because our lives are over.

I can't believe you wanted Dad to come speak at the assembly.

He's gonna humiliate us.

Relax, guys. He's not going to humiliate us.

Santamonica: But you get made fun of every day.

We're just...

not as strong as you.

♪♪

Ms. Collins: [ Claps hands ] Okay, class.

In honor of MLK Day, the teachers have planned

a march through the hallway before the assembly.

So, until then, we're gonna watch...

"Beverly Hills Cop."

Hit the lights.

Can I ask you something?

My dad is coming to speak at the assembly.

Is that a bad --

That sucks. I'm so sorry.

You can't have a parent come talk to the school.

You'll never live down that embarrassment.

Yeah, there was this one girl

whose dad came to speak on career day,

and she got made fun of so much,

she had to start eating lunch in the bathroom.

That was me!

But it's true.

And my dad is a firefighter.

Your dad...is a mom.

[ Scoffs ] Come on, guys. It can't be that big of a deal.

It totally is.

That's why I make my mom

do parent-teacher conferences in the parking lot.

And why I told Ms. Collins both my parents are dead.

[ Ball clacks in cup ]

Unbeatable.

Here's the list of cases I'm thinking of taking.

[ Sighs ]

Do you know how long it takes

to sue for workplace discrimination?

That means that I'm not gonna see any of that free advertising

until there's a black president.

[ Chuckles ]

Really? On MLK Day?

Sorry.

Anyway, I'm gonna see about moving up my tee time.

Wait!

I'll only do easy and quick cases.

That will raise our profile,

and it's completely tax deductible.

Alright. I'll give it a go.

Hey, guys, you gotta hear this black president joke.

So...

[ Laughter ]

What's everybody laughing at?

Harrison made a joke about a black president.

Damn. That is funny.

Ha!

What are you doing here?

I'm here to help, like we talked about!

I made you tea!

I told you I didn't want you to come.

I thought that was just something you say,

like when I tell bums I have money

but don't want to give it to them.

I never have money.

Denise, not now.

If all goes well,

Harrison might finally let me do pro bono work.

That's why you need my help!

Plus, I brought this.

I'm a notary public.

[ Stamp clicks ]

Whatever that is, it's now official.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

Thanks again for doing this interview, Mr. Jackson.

Oh, please, call me Paul.

But I should be thanking you for using your newspaper

to celebrate my good friend Michael.

Michael?

Oh. I'm sorry.

You know him as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

but he was originally born Michael King Jr.

It's true. Google it.

That's great.

What else you got?

I got a lot.

He's got the ball in hand, game point.

We had been playing for hours in the sun,

and my hands -- they were calloused.

You should have seen the size of his shoes.

♪ K-I-N-G-O ♪

[ Camera shutter clicks ] There we go.

Let's get a serious one.

Okay. Yeah.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

Yeah?

[ People chanting ]

We have to get out of here.

Dad can't embarrass us if we're not here.

We can fake sick.

Ow! My polio!

I hope you're not talking about [Whispering] ditching.

[ Chanting continues ]

Dad's speech was gonna ruin me.

I had to get out of there and take the cool kids with me.

Hey, guys.

I'm thinking about skipping. You want to come?

On the first MLK Day? Are you trippin'?

Well...

...the way this school is handling MLK Day is a joke!

I used Dr. King's words to my advantage,

organizing my own Rainbow coalition

of people I...didn't want to be embarrassed in front of.

...segregated in different corners of the hall.

He wanted little black boys and girls

and little white boys and girls playing together...

at the arcade.

I can honor Dr. King at the arcade.

Me too. I'm a follower, so I'm in.

Well, then, follow me to the promised land.

♪♪

Free at last! Free at last!

[ Chuckles ]

-Whoa! -Wow.

I never would've thought you'd skip school.

Yeah. You're usually such a goody two-shoes.

And all holier than thou.

And bossy. And frizzy.

I get it.

But this -- this is cool.

[ Cheering ] Shh!

Shh, shh!

Guys, we can't draw attention to ourselves.

We are fugitives.

If I get caught, they'll call my dad.

C'mon, relax. It'll be fun.

Ee!

The sign says... no running.

[ Video game noises ] Never mind.

Hello. I'm Principal Taylor.

I read the draft of your speech, Mr. Jackson.

Oh, no, no, no. Please, call me Paul.

Mr. Jackson is my slave-owner name.

Uh -- I-I'm...so -- so sorry.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward

to hearing this great speech.

Did you like how I described the weather on the day of the march?

Cloudy with a chance of hope.

Yes, yes. I-I loved how you kept it so light.

Y-You handled the whole... MLK thing the right way.

Uh...

Wait, w-what do you mean by that?

No, uh, just that the -- the speech was so hopeful.

I was worried about this holiday.

Navigating the civil rights movement can get, uh...

well, tricky. Uh-huh.

But you didn't make it seem too scary.

Uh, well, ye-- Hmm.

It was scary.

Of course it was. Yes.

Uh, but we don't want to make anyone...

uncomfortable.

What am I telling you for? You get it.

You wrote the speech.

[ Chuckles ]

[ Clicks tongue ]

[ Sighs ]

♪♪

I'm gonna be honest -- this case is very complicated.

That's why you came to the right place.

[ Stamp clicks ]

That's official now.

So, what are you saying?

I'm saying we'd be looking at years of work

before we go to court.

Even then, winning is a long shot.

I'd really like to help you, but my boss wants to see wins,

so I need to take fast cases.

I'm sorry.

I'm not gonna be able to help you.

Well, then, I guess you just got me.

None of us will be able to take your case.

I really am sorry.

But maybe they can help you here.

Thanks.

♪♪

[ Video game noises ]

By now, I felt like I was in the clear.

We'd gotten away with ditching school,

none of my friends would have to sit through

my dad's embarrassing speech,

and I was 10 and 0 on air hockey.

♪ I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation ♪

♪ You're living in the past, it's a new generation ♪

[ Both laugh ]

♪ A girl can do what she wants to do ♪

♪ And that's what I'm gonna do ♪

[ Laughing ] I love Martin Luther King Day!

I'm glad I found you in the bathroom before you left.

I'm sorry my sister said we couldn't help you.

She's what you call book smart, and I am street smart.

And everyone on the street knows the power

of a strongly worded letter.

"Dear racist..."

Actually, let's keep this professional.

"To whom it may concern..."

Damn!

That's professional as hell.

[ Knock on door ]

Oh.

Denise, why did you lock the door?

Should we let her in? Unh-unh!

[ Door handle rattling ]

[ Groans ] [ Door closes ]

Ah --

Really, Denise?

The firm could get in serious trouble for this.

And that is not how you spell "fiduciary."

Well, this guy needed our help, and you just turned him away.

Ipso facto, it was up to me.

"Ipso facto" is a fancy legal term

that means "of the fact" in Spanish.

We'll put it in your letter.

What's wrong with you? Pretending to be a lawyer?

Wait, you're not a lawyer?

Enough, Denise.

This is my opportunity to make a difference, and you're ruining it.

I'm ruining it?

I saw you turn six people away.

But I helped eight.

So, can I keep that letter?

Do you even know what "pro bono" means?

It's Spanish for "helping others."

I really don't have time for this.

Of course you don't. All you care about is the numbers.

Ipso facto, selfish.

Oh! So you're finally ready to join the movement?

Back when it mattered, I was out there

marching for our people, and where were you?

At home, doing nothing.

Well, if that's how you feel about it...

...consider this my resignation.

[ Stamp clicks ]

♪♪

[ Stamp clicks ]

[ Sighs ]

My dad was upset about the principal

accusing him of whitewashing his Dr. King speech,

and whenever my dad was upset, he headed to the bar.

Unfortunately, his favorite bar

was the salad bar at Pizza Palace.

Crap. My dad's here.

Paul: I didn't leave anything out. See?

Right here. Trials and tribulations.

Does trials and tribulations sound trivial to you?

Dude... I refill the croutons.

Quick, we have to get out of here before he turns around.

Go, go, go!

[ Whispering ] Wait! Santi!

Johan is in the bathroom.

Leave him!

♪♪

We should turn ourselves in.

Are you drunk?!

Trust me.

I did it. I skipped school.

Bow?

Santi!

Hi, Dad.

How could you skip school?

Today, of all days?

You're right. It's indefensible.

You should take us home and punish us for the rest of the day.

We don't deserve to see the assembly.

I'm really sorry you won't be able to speak at it.

What? I-I thought you wanted me to speak.

What's really going on?

Santamonica: You're embarrassing.

Besides, everyone already knows your stories about Dr. King,

especially us.

Yeah. He was your friend who liked to march,

and he was really good at handball.

Everyone loved him.

Wait, you -- you think everybody loved Dr. King?

But...I told you what he was up against --

We know. He faced a lot of trials and tribulations.

Oh, Bow, it wasn't that simple.

Wait.

I told you how he died, right?

Huh? He died?

You said he lived forever in our hearts.

♪♪

This whole time,

my father had been upset with Principal Taylor

for wanting a whitewashed version of MLK,

without realizing that this is exactly

what he'd been giving to us.

But he probably should have realized that before.

What is wrong with you? You wrote three pages talking about the man's shoes.

I know. What do you want me to say?

I-I-I'm not the right guy to talk about this.

Yeah, well, what do I know?

According to Alicia,

I didn't do anything for the civil rights movement.

Well, at least you didn't undo what's been done.

I basically whitewashed history.

Wait. Is this part true?

What?

You bailed him out of jail?

[ Chuckles ] Yeah. A couple of times, actually.

You were doing more than I thought.

You wouldn't know any of that by reading this speech.

Well, it's not too late to change it.

You helped the man,

so maybe you are the best person to give that speech.

I don't know.

It's clear -- I'm sitting here with a white guy who did more

for the civil rights movement than I did.

Then take your own advice.

No. Public speaking makes me gassy.

I still remember that incident.

No.

I mean... it's never too late to change.

A wise woman once told me that.

You're right.

I'm wise as [bleep]

[ Both chuckle ]

Clock is tickin'.

One hour 'til tee time.

It's quiet in here. Where's Denise?

She left.

After accusing me of not doing enough for civil rights,

even though I was the one out there fighting for change.

Where was she?

I was in Korea, and I can tell you

that not every soldier fights in the trenches.

Some have to stay and protect base camp,

cook food, and...

pass out penicillin to clear up our...

Look, the army isn't just made up of frontline fighters.

It takes everyone to win the war.

I hadn't thought about it like that.

I guess I was on the front lines marching,

but Denise would always wait up for me

to make sure I got home safe.

But anyway...thank you.

For what? I just wanted to remind you that I'm a war hero.

♪♪

Santi, Johan, and I got detention for a week.

And it had all been for nothing.

We still ended up at the assembly.

I can't watch.

Can kids divorce their parents?

Hey, little freedom fighters. [ Feedback ]

Oh. I'm sorry. That's a little loud.

At least I have Micaela.

If I start ignoring you in the hall,

please don't take it personally.

Well, I'm -- I'm, uh -- I'm here today

to talk about my friend

the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Yeah.

I have a lot of fond memories of my time with him.

Uh, but...

But, uh...

You know what? I also have memories...

of seeing him mistreated...

and disrespected.

And I realized that --

...that I was...uncomfortable

talking about that part because...

it reminds me that there were a lot of people

who were on the wrong side of history.

We all know people like that,

and some of us may even love people like that.

But I guess we need to know where we've been

so we know how much further we need to go.

I tell you what, as I look around the room

[Chuckles] I see something

that I wish my friend could have lived to see.

I mean, t-there's kids of every color sitting together,

as peers...

and equals...

and friends.

My dad's speech went on

15 minutes longer than it was supposed to.

It was the first time we heard stories

about how peaceful resistance

was met with police dogs and fire hoses.

But he explained that through it all, Dr. King never stopped

preaching love, forgiveness, and hope.

Thank you. I had wasted all day

worrying that he would embarrass me,

but I couldn't have been more proud.

That's my dad!

Oh. Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

♪♪

[ Sighs ]

Why am I here?

I-I realized I needed this notarized.

I'm sorry about earlier.

I was so focused on the numbers, I lost track

of how I really wanted to spend the first MLK Day --

doing my part for all of our people.

And I want you to help me.

♪♪

18 years after his death,

we celebrated the first-ever Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

What else you need?

And that year, my family decided

how we were gonna celebrate it going forward.

Denise: No, I know!

[ Laughs ]

Ooh!

Harrison Jackson. How can I help you?

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

We would honor him by remembering

that the impossible becomes possible

and that each and every one of us

has the power to stand up for what's right,

even when the world seems against us,

that even in the darkest times, the light can lead us through.

Happy birthday, Dr. King.

Extra, extra! Read all about me!

Ah! I can't believe my baby is in the Gazette!

Harrison: Let me see that. Come here.

"Local house-husband Paul Jackson --"

Gee, I've never been prouder.

Mm-hmm.

Denise: Let me see. Here.

Oh --

The march on Selma was 54 miles? Mm-hmm.

In the Alabama sun?

Mm-hmm.

And y'all tried to make me feel bad for not going.

[ Laughs ]

[ Chuckles ]

-Mom! -Shh! Daddy's working!

♪♪