College boy thought
he'd have him a color TV.
-Hey, y'all, look-a here.
-I didn't do anything.
Suit on the outside
and a Negro on the inside.
I didn't do anything.
You did something.
That's not me!
Not you?
Then who are you, Mr. Richard Kelly?
-I would like to propose a toast.
-Just hold on a second.
I sent in an application
to the Wesbury Theological College
here in town.
Honey, they've offered you
a full scholarship with room and board.
-You did what?
-So, you want to be a preacher?
-No. No, no.
-Now look here.
You can go a long ways with this.
Social worker, professor.
-Pastor, of course.
-Mama, you see this?
ICC. International Computing Corporation.
I beat out 100 guys for this position.
-If you take this job...
-If? Mama, this is my dream.
No more living like we do.
I start this job on Monday.
That was a silly thing to do.
Hey, Richard,
I've been looking all over for you, man.
-What's the drama?
-Some pigs just beat up a brother
-and his mother for no reason.
-What?
There's a protest at Avalon and Imperial.
-Come on.
-No, really, don't go.
-Good. I'm out of here.
-Almost.
-What?
-I got you a plea bargain deal.
Deferred adjudication.
Look, you gotta take that
seminary scholarship.
You serve nine months
of a probated sentence.
All right? You complete two semesters.
It's wiped off.
No, man, we talked about me
doing probation while I'm working.
As in, at my new job, in my new office,
with my new salary.
Yeah, 30 people are dead, 4000 arrested,
and you put a cop in the hospital.
This is a darn good deal.
I told you, I was trying to stop the violence.
I'll testify in front of a jury.
Yeah, that's what you'll say.
And I got 4000 other brothers
who are going to say the same thing.
Take the deal, Richard.
You do not wanna be another black man
in one of their prisons.
Take the deal, Richard.
You waiting for a tip?
I got one for you.
Try Beverly Hills next time.
You can just leave that bag inside.
The owner will be back
to pick it up later, all right?
-This is mine. This is mine.
-Huh?
Do you know where
I can go get a room assignment?
-Yeah, you want administration.
-Thanks.
Don't hurt yourself.
-Hi.
-Yes?
Everybody gone for lunch?
Yes, but they'll be back real soon.
So, if you could come back later...
-Richard Kelly.
-You know my name?
Yes, well, Dr. Beckett had me pull your file.
He's the president, you know.
And I think he wants to see you.
Come with me.
-I much prefer the larger theater.
-Yeah.
And then the convention center
is slightly smaller, but I think it works.
Looks fantastic.
Dr. Beckett,
this is the student you mentioned.
Yes, indeed.
A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kelly.
Alan Beckett.
Pleasure to meet you, sir.
I was just showing Mr. Tremaine out.
Tremaine investment Group.
I read about you in Fortune magazine.
Very nice to meet you, sir. Richard Kelly.
Seminary on a hill. Long way from Watts.
So was UCLA, sir.
-Good day, Alan.
-Good day.
Busy man. Have a seat.
-I am so glad that you're here, Mr. Kelly.
-Thank you, sir.
It may interest you to know
that I personally awarded your scholarship.
-Really?
-The committee was hesitant.
But that essay that you submitted
with your application
was brief, but passionate.
I was anxious to get here, probably.
The big picture is
that Wesbury must change with the times.
And that's why you're here, Richard,
to pave the way for more Negro students,
to be their champion.
You mean I'm the first black student
at this school?
But the perfect choice.
An honors graduate, a leader on campus.
I didn't come here
expecting to be anyone's champion.
You came here to be a pastor.
-Yes, that's right.
-Martin Luther King started as a pastor.
You think he ever expected
to turn a nation on its head?
-Probably not.
-So, are you up for the job?
What am I supposed to do?
Make A's. Graduate work here is tough.
Set an example.
-I can do that.
-Good.
More importantly,
because we're a Christian seminary,
this reform must start on a ground level,
not by me forcing it down people's throats.
You help me with this, Richard,
and I will help you in every way possible.
-Okay.
-Good.
I marched in Mississippi too,
so I know what lies ahead of us.
I will be your silent advocate
behind the scenes.
Thank you.
That was my son.
A boy. Strong-minded.
Anyway, welcome.
Hey, I'm Fred. You must be Richard.
-How'd you know?
-That administrative girl asked.
She sort of described you.
I said, "Shoot, I don't care,
as long as nobody steals nothing."
Fred Leak. Dallas, Texas.
-Fred Leak?
-Yeah, yeah, I know.
Peter Leak, Take a Leak. Heard it all.
So you must be first semester too, huh?
Put all the rookies on the same floor.
You know, goes with camaraderie and all.
Let me help you with that.
Hey, that girl didn't ask me
if I minded rooming with a Texas cracker.
Maybe you ought to call her.
I'm just joking.
-Camaraderie and all.
-Yeah.
In these turbuIent times,
the Church is desperate for Ieaders.
Scripture says,
"My peopIe perish for Iack of vision. "
You may be wondering,
"Do I have that vision?
"Am I truly called to this ministry?"
I can't answer this.
But what I can do
is create an optimal environment
to inspire your hearts and your minds.
To this end, I am pleased to announce
the beginning of construction
on our $10 million media complex,
which will be the most
technologically advanced learning center
of any seminary in the nation.
And we have
Mr. Stansfield G. Tremaine to thank.
Would you please stand, sir?
For the next several weeks, Mr. Tremaine
will be visiting some of our classes
in an effort
to get to know us more personally.
He too understands that our seminary
must turn out leaders
for these trying times.
Thank you, and God bless you all.
-Hey, there.
-How you doing?
-Samuel J. Benton.
-Richard Kelly. Nice to meet you.
-I'm sort of in a hurry.
-Don't let me hold you up.
Get on.
-You lose something?
-Finding it.
These folks are in such a rush
about getting new books,
just tossed the old ones out.
They're probably obsolete.
Ms. Kim over at the office,
she lets me know ahead of time,
kind of secret like.
You should see my collection
of obsolete books.
You read this stuff?
You should come visit sometime.
The missus would like that.
Thanks. Maybe when I get my head
above water.
These fellows around here
ain't used to a young brother like yourself.
You live around here?
Can you believe LBJ
lecturing the whole country?
"I will use every means at my disposal.
"The Negro man will win his right
to participate in his government."
-It's not a speech, it's a threat.
-There's never enough. Like Watts.
Watts wasn't just about looting
and burning and all that.
Watts happened
when people got sick of the brutality.
So they gave it back.
You know, just so I know,
why don't you use
that back shower from now on, okay?
You know, I think
I'm gonna stay in any shower I want.
What?
Hey, you know what,
you're finished here, Nick. Get out.
You ain't the only one around here
who knows how to use a knife, buddy boy.
Jesus sees a woman carrying jars of water
and asks for a drink.
She asks, "Why would a Jew
be willing to share a cup
"with a Samaritan
who the Jews think are unclean?"
He then tells her of her life as a prostitute.
Then?
She recognizes he's a prophet
and she asks him what he wants.
He wants her to stop sleeping around.
The disciples labeled her vulgarity
as a result of her Samaritan ethnicity.
Professor, it was racism
taught by Church leaders,
maybe like today.
I mean, Jesus called the leaders
a brood of vipers.
That's one interpretation.
He called us to be peacemakers,
not insurgents.
The Ecclesiastes says, "There's a time
for war and a time for peace."
What about a time for learning?
Include today's discussion
with the next four chapters.
Your essays are on my desk.
I didn't start anything.
He came at me with this dirty Negro bull.
Richard, we train young men here
in the ways of God.
-And that excludes punching people out.
-So you're in favor of segregated showers?
You allowed schoolboy name-calling
to escalate into a brawl.
Procedure requires disciplinary action.
Perhaps you come from somewhere
where discipline is not highly regarded.
Listen, my mother raised two children,
with no help, working nights.
Richard, Branch Rickey had the choice
of 10 Negro ballplayers,
all of whom
were better than Jackie Robinson.
But what Mr. Rickey needed
was someone who had the combination
of talent and maturity.
Now, was I wrong about you?
-No.
-They expect violence. Don't give it to them.
Let them learn your truth,
which is their truth.
You expect a lot.
Any more trouble,
you make sure I'm the first one to know.
Now, let's see some results.
Racism, right here, where they're training
people to preach mercy and justice.
But for whom?
The right people, the ones who deserve it?
Sit down, holy man.
You here to learn something
or just make trouble?
Totally out of control.
Moneybags back there
isn't going to like this.
If you want to break the back
of Christian sponsored bigotry, step up.
Demand that this seminary
bring in black students and faculty.
We march tomorrow at noon.
"Christian bigotry"?
Relax. That's just rhetoric.
-Tremaine was standing right next to me.
-Good.
He'll see that we're on the right side
of the integration issue.
How do you know what side he's on?
Stansfield Tremaine is an enlightened man.
Kelly is a leader. Tremaine will see this.
Got him.
Hey, hey, hey.
All right, it's been half an hour.
Nobody's coming.
You know, just what I thought.
They didn't even hear a word I said.
They heard you all right.
-Why'd you come?
-I think I know what you were trying to say.
But what came out was, "All you bigots
follow me and I'll forgive your sins."
No, that's just an excuse not to get done
what needs to get done on this campus.
I know, I know.
It's my way or the highway, right?
That's a big one in Texas.
Look, you might try getting to know
these people before you save them.
Hey, Tex, how many black neighborhoods
have you gone into
and gotten to know someone?
Yeah, yeah, I know.
Look, show me how.
Yeah, Rich, I think you got
your Martin Luthers mixed up.
The one who was nailing petitions
to the Church doors and all that,
he was the reformer.
King? He's the one in jail.
Hey, do y'all know
how that lady professor got here?
Yeah, Beckett brought her in.
She was like a missionary in Africa.
Bet she didn't wear those tight pants
in the jungle.
You want recruitment goals,
two professors.
Your class teaches
that spiritual transformation
is the best route to societal changes.
Why did you come to me?
I thought you could help
get the faculty on my side.
Where did you hear that?
You risked your life in Africa
all those years. There had to be a reason.
-A "why" to all that.
-I don't remember the why.
What happened there?
If you think I'm gonna curve your grade
because of some noble societal goals,
-you're wrong.
-I'm not begging favors.
Then study. I don't tutor.
There are over 19 million black people
in this country and one at this seminary.
-I mean, shouldn't there be 50?
-There are other seminaries.
-If you're so miserable here, transfer.
-I can't.
Look, I'm not jumping through hoops
for some kid who's trying to find his way.
Odds are you're just gonna
wash out of here first semester, anyway.
Now, it's my teatime.
Yeah, Ma, the food's fine.
Hey, of all the seminaries,
why'd you pick this place?
You needn't go haIfway across the country
when you couId Iearn cIose by
and visit me on the weekend.
Did you know I was
the only black student here?
Whatever it is, Richard,
God's got his hand on it.
-Yeah, you been taking that medicine?
-Yeah.
-You know you can't lie.
-And neither can you.
You can't afford that medicine and I'm here.
-I gotta go. I Iove you.
-I love you, too.
What do you want?
-Thank you, ma'am, for inviting me.
-Miss, ma'am.
He must not be from Los AngeIes, huh?
OriginaIIy Savannah, Georgia.
But I grew up here.
Have a seat.
I'll get the juice.
You get that shiner out there?
-Yeah, but I gave some back.
-I know you did.
-So those are all rejects?
-Yeah.
Lucky for me.
Kierkegaard, St. Augustine.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
-Yeah.
-Heavy stuff.
-I've read it a couple of times.
You can take it if you want.
Thank you, B.
You're welcome.
Oh, me God, don't be beating
the glass to death, man.
He think everything he pick up
is some kind of a tool.
Woman, I gotta get the good stuff
off the bottom, don't I?
Cheers.
So now tell me, Richard,
how are things going on up there?
-I thought this was going to be easy.
-Yeah, what about the other boys?
I'm a get the melon.
They're making theirs.
-How are they treating you?
-Like I wasn't supposed to leave the ghetto.
And they're watching everything
real closely, just anxious for me to fail.
Maybe they are.
You're welcome here anytime, day or night.
You leave those people up there.
Now, Richard,
I have fought the enemy for 60 years.
I mean, anybody that walked in my path,
it was either him or me.
-This is different. It's psychological.
-It's all psychological.
Here you go.
I think that those people
that you think are the enemy,
but sometimes,
they could be your deliverance.
-I didn't tell you something.
-What?
They burned a cross in my room.
-My mother's.
-Oh, me God.
Sorry, Fred.
Lord, please, help me make these grades
so I can get that job back.
I promise I won't let go of the dream.
Hey, phone. It's an emergency.
-What's the news, Doctor?
-Your mother's had severe kidney failure.
-We can get her through this, but for now.
-For now?
The medication she was on
was for a minor infection.
She needs to be on a dialysis machine
for weeks, maybe months.
So hook it up.
-We can cover initial expenses, but...
-How much?
Could go 5000 or more.
Good God.
-If you weren't at that fool seminary...
-Bobby...
We ain't got nothing.
We need to get this money
around here, okay?
I've been telling you
to come to this meeting.
Whatever you want, man.
You see how I'm riding around here,
Cadillacs and chicks.
Boy, you need to get
some of this big money.
I'm tired of you
and all these two-time losers
coming in here and hanging around
broke down JoJo, okay?
You know, 'cause these
white pimps and thieves, man,
they got us in here like slaves.
You know that.
They got us working the ghetto
instead of the plantations,
and they gonna keep it that way too,
I'll tell you.
You know that?
But most of these dumb brothers,
they don't know what I know, baby.
-Yeah, go on, Roscoe. Go on, man.
-Yeah, serve them drinks up right, JoJo.
Look at that. Hey, Richie.
Give my man a drink, man.
Good to see you.
Look, education's the answer.
Richard Kelly got a big degree, huh?
-JoJo.
-How you doing, my man?
-What you in here lecturing about?
-I'm just hanging, man. Really.
Come here. Come on, baby. Come here.
Get your butt up now.
Hey, why don't you say hello to Lisa?
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
She went to college until she decided
having babies would be more fun,
ain't that right, baby?
Yeah, like you know everything.
Roscoe, I understand what you're saying,
but there's no future in that.
Hey, the only future's in what you take.
You gotta take the stuff like that.
-Stop it, Roscoe.
-You see how I grabbed her like that?
-All right now.
-You smart brother, you smart.
You can learn a trade.
You could do anything you want.
Look, I always used to read and just write...
Really?
You can't read nothing, Negro. Shut up.
Take her for instance,
she sure do got a trade.
-Roscoe, stop it.
-Come on, brother. Relax.
Cut it out! Roscoe!
Relax?
He gonna save all us sinners.
His mama been telling everybody how
her boy's gonna be a minister of the gospel.
All right now.
You gonna be just like the rest of these
bigmouthed preachers out here
taking people money, huh? You next?
Roscoe, you just afraid.
Afraid? Afraid of what?
Afraid to find out who Roscoe really is.
That's what I'm afraid of?
You know what, brother,
you afraid of this right here, Negro.
-That's what you're afraid of!
-Calm down.
No, don't tell me to freaking calm down
in here, okay?
-Man, I'll let this .38 pop up in here, okay?
-Roscoe, stop it!
Man, Roscoe, get on your nerves, can't he?
Come on. Let's get you out of here now.
Come on, get out of here
before your mama catch you.
-See you later.
-All right, all right.
Please, Mr. Leak, after six weeks,
your pronunciation should be better.
Yes, sir.
I still don't understand
the relevance of speaking Greek.
Really? In studying
the pastor's role in the world,
the original Greek, in the New Testament,
might be an important place to start,
wouldn't you say?
How does it help people?
I mean, it seems more esoteric
than real world.
So you're not interested in the theology
behind your actions?
-The "why" of it all?
-Some of us aren't here to be theologians.
Preachers can pontificate all they want,
leap around in hysterics,
but unless people are compelled
by the "why" of their action,
they will have no following.
No results. That is real world.
Class dismissed.
Mr. Kelly...
I'm an A student.
You know,
we don't have to pass people here.
Sorry, Mom.
Hey, Roscoe, you better put that thing away
before my mom comes in and sees it.
-Mama, look, my stomach's gonna pop.
-Mine, too.
Now, Roscoe, how come
you never invite your mama?
You know we got enough.
I will, if I see her.
We just finished.
Did you train that boy
how to speak to his daddy?
Hello, Marvin, you just missed a nice meal.
Maybe I could warm some up for you.
-Some other time.
-Hey, now, I got bills to pay.
-And I ain't?
-Yeah, with your bookie.
Here. Here, here. Just take it.
But pay me back.
That's our money!
Got nothing to do with you!
Don't you hit him like that!
This is still my house, my rules, my family!
My roof!
You ain't man enough.
Your daddy loves you.
He just needs a little work, that's all.
-I don't have a father.
-Don't you say that! Don't you ever say that.
He is still your father, isn't he?
-Richard Kelly...
-Yeah?
-Who wants tapioca?
-I do.
-Me too.
-I'll bring three.
You're okay.
Hey, hey, I got two tickets
to the Rams game against Dallas.
Don Meredith and "Bullet" Bob Hayes.
Ought to be a good one.
-Don't think so. Can't.
-Come on, man.
-Good date. Be fun.
-Too many papers coming up.
I mean, I can find you a pretty girl.
Like who? Your sister? What about her?
-She's cute.
-Yeah, that wouldn't be appropriate.
Yeah, just what I thought.
-"No colored boy is gonna date my sister."
-You know what, that ain't it.
She's only 15. Man.
-Look, I just saw her picture and thought...
-Yeah, and what?
That everyone's a racist?
Especially from Texas?
Forget it, all right?
You know, I'll tell you what.
If things are so screwed up,
why don't you get out there
and do something about it?
-Like what?
-March or protest, something.
With who?
You seen any brothers around here?
Then get some.
It's better than all that rioting and stuff.
Just forget it, man.
Hey there, Samuel.
That kitchen work should be fine.
Hey there, Georgia boy.
-I told you I knew people.
-Yeah, I start tonight.
Is that right?
-See Mom this weekend.
-Yeah?
Here. Help me find the break
in this line here.
Janitor, gardener... You the trashman, too?
The Lord has entrusted me
with the care of this place,
and I'm not gonna let anybody
defile it while I'm here.
So, tell me,
when you came over to me and Bessie's,
you showed us pictures of the
neighborhood. I saw old Calvary Baptist.
-Yeah, yeah, Reverend Duncan.
-Yeah.
Then, you showed me the pictures of
your family and there was no father.
-Where's he?
-Anywhere but home.
-Why do you keep asking?
-No reason.
No reason.
So tell me, what does a young man
dream about these days?
-I don't know if you want to hear mine.
-I ain't going nowhere.
Well...
It's...
I'm laying down in total darkness.
And I'm holding a knife.
And I stick it in my chest
and I pull it down through my stomach.
And my whole front opens up.
I lean forward to look inside
and I can't see anything.
It's just vague and empty.
Then the dream ends.
Not exactly what I had in mind. But it'll do.
I wonder what it means.
Like I want to kill myself or something?
It sounds like you want to see
what's going on inside
and you want to know real bad.
You know, there's a quote
in Bonhoeffer's book,
"Pain is like a holy angel
who reveals treasures to men,
"which otherwise remain forever hidden."
-So all this is a treasure?
-Beneath the pain.
What do you say?
I don't know. Pain is pain.
It ain't treasure yet.
You gotta keep on digging.
For how long?
Till you find the break in this line. Come on.
Don't put your foot in the water, boy.
Come on.
Yeah, right there. Come on.
One, two, three. Come on.
Hey, Richard, what's happening, man?
Hey, Richard, come on now.
Talk to me now, man.
What you want, Roscoe?
Look, I heard about Mama Kelly.
I'm real sorry.
Look, man, I just came by here
to square this up with you, all right?
You know that business in the bar,
I was just a little drunk.
I know you ain't gonna freak out
about a little drinking, are you?
We're square. Now move on.
Look, Richard, look,
I know you in need of some cash, bro.
And I can help you out.
Look, that's five G's right there, okay?
I just gotta make a house call in this Cad
over here.
And I want some company.
I want my boy back.
All right?
I go with you, wait around,
and I take the five G's now?
She's my mama, too.
Come on. Get in, man.
You hold tight, Jack, all right?
This is going to be quick.
JoJo, what your old butt doing now?
I'm not selling no poison
like that in my club, man.
We got enough police out here
in the streets trying to kill us now.
Brother, you gotta get
some of this money, okay?
Get the money. You ain't nothing
but a broke down Negro anyway.
You might as well get some
of this dope money, boy.
Come on, Roscoe. If your daddy
knew what you were doing, he'd turn over...
He dead and you next, old man!
You about the stupidest perm-head,
you know that?
Look, we gonna get right to it.
I run this street, you old man.
You must have your head
all in the toilet, boy.
-'Cause you don't know crap, Roscoe.
-I don't know crap?
You really don't know nothing.
You ain't nothing but a punk.
Get that junk out of my house.
You ain't nothing but a stupid bartender.
-I got you right here, boy!
-No, Roscoe!
Oh, man.
Are you okay?
Yes, yes, a man's been shot.
Get him out of here
before I shoot him again.
You want laying out?
I'll shoot him again.
I'm gonna kill this old perm-head!
That's what you is, a dead man!
Come on now.
-Come on, get off of me now!
-Move over. I'll take you to the hospital.
I'm fine. I'll be all right.
Hey, man, you take this cash
and you get your mom well, all right?
All right.
Hello.
Am I addressing the living?
Boy, you better be glad
the missus is not here.
She'd be whipping you all up till next week.
How many times do I have to tell you?
-I wouldn't feel it.
-Yeah.
Come on, boy. Get up.
You're gonna go to my church today.
Come on.
Hurry up.
Hey, look.
You can't drown your pain, you know.
Take it from me,
you're gonna breathe underwater.
If you're so smart, you know a guy
with a hangover doesn't want a lecture.
-Jesus knows, you know.
-What?
Look, Jesus has experienced
everything that you have felt.
-And more so.
-Why didn't he stop it?
Because he wants a relationship with you.
Mean-ass way to get one, don't you think?
Yeah, I have a feeling
he knows what he's doing.
Hey!
What did I do to deserve this? Nothing.
When all those other fools were out there
playing basketball till midnight,
I was home studying.
When they were out selling drugs,
I was sweeping at a grocery store.
I fought for every
bit of my education, my life.
And that ain't good enough for your Jesus?
He wants a relationship?
Well, I want my life back!
I'm trapped here, Samuel.
I'm trapped here because of some
crazy lady's faith in
a fucked up cross!
Well...
You may be right.
I'm gonna go downstairs
and I'll sit in the car for a few minutes.
And you can come.
But if you don't,
that's okay.
Hey, you know what?
You know that dream you keep having?
That's your spirit.
It's calling you to go into the darkness.
And out the other side, boy.
But you got to surrender
and have faith that it will take you
where you wanna go.
Surrender.
Come on. Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
Some burn.
Like a cigarette.
Just some grease splatter.
How is Cynthia? Any better?
I never know what's waiting for me there.
Richard, come on in.
Thanks for stopping by.
Professor Allison.
Hello.
Sit down.
I've been working on this since...
I don't know, a long time.
Richard, one day, you may be speaking
from the podium in that theater.
Three sponsors quit.
Then Stansfield Tremaine appeared.
Like from heaven.
Kate,
I want you to help Richard
on our project that I talked to you about.
My writing takes up most of my spare time.
Imagine this woman
walking into a village in the Congo.
The people skills
she called upon to succeed.
It was anything but a success.
You see, that's what we have here,
in reverse.
Richard, you need a little help
with the natives.
So now you got the calling. I've seen it.
But the Holy Spirit got to inhabit
more than your mind.
It's got to go way deep down inside you.
Thank you. That's very kind, but I just...
Don't be flattered.
When God's eye is on you, so is Satan's.
Now you better listen to her, man.
She knows what she's talking about.
You pray on that.
Hey!
Look what I found.
You just found that laying around,
huh, Samuel?
Listen to this.
You remember that, don't you?
Come on, boy. You know this.
-Go on, try it out.
-Come!
Now, you can't keep up with me.
You better watch me move.
Yeah. All right.
Watch us stepping.
-Yeah!
-Okay, twirl now.
All right.
-Okay.
-Look at you.
Go, Mama, go!
James is right.
Faith is obscure, it cannot be manufactured.
Obscure?
Isn't faith for anyone
who wants it bad enough?
The ethnic cultures do seem
to have more faith than what's normal.
They have less education,
so they need it more than most people.
Moses had seen
God lift the seven plagues from Egypt.
So he had faith they'd be saved.
Faith based on miracles is shallow.
These stories are just allegories
meant to inspire,
they are not to be taken in literal fact.
So you're saying
we may as well study fairytales?
President Johnson, in his war on poverty,
will spend the money necessary
to educate inner-city people so no one
will need these miracles to believe in.
"The word of the Lord
will not return to me empty,
"but shall accomplish that
which I purpose."
Is that truth or allegory, Professor?
Truth is relative.
Have you ever gotten a word from God,
Professor Allison?
Have you?
Doesn't mean it won't happen.
So, Mom got the money and medicine, huh?
Yeah. She's aIready feeIing better.
Good, that's real good.
But there is something.
JoJo's dead.
-What?
-Found him shot up at home.
Oh, God.
What a good guy he was, man.
Yeah, he was.
Listen, let me know if you hear
from Roscoe, okay?
AII right.
Professor Allison, I need to speak to you.
-Make an appointment.
-I've left four messages.
Scholarly duties.
Where is this expertise
I was supposed to get?
I see, I'm just supposed to drop everything
and rush right out
for Richard's latest proclamation?
Why is a woman who lived in Africa
-Samuel.
-Hey.
It's late.
Yeah, I couldn't sleep.
Took a walk, saw a light in the window...
And you kind of found your way back
to the kitchen, huh?
You want to hear the story,
don't you, Samuel?
Thanksgiving, Mom had this great meal
planned for us and Roscoe.
There's a knock at the door.
We all know who it is.
The bum wanting money.
Got one hand stuck out,
the other hand with flowers,
but before he could beat me,
I got the first lick in.
And I got him good.
Real good.
He didn't say anything. He just got up and...
The look in his eyes,
I knew he was gone for good.
Mama, she just picked up the flowers.
Like I was supposed to keep getting beat
till he decided to get straight.
He was a drunk bum.
But don't you think it would've been better
if he had come at a time
when you and Roscoe wasn't there?
-What are you saying? He swung at me.
-Hear me out.
You know,
I think that you felt
he was going to swing at you.
What do you think he wanted?
He wasn't drunk.
Did you smell anything on his breath?
Did he ask you for any money?
Let's get this picture straight.
He's at the doorway, it's Thanksgiving.
Got flowers in his hand.
And he's sober.
What do you think he wanted?
Richard, we're talking about
a man who hated himself.
More than anything, he hated himself.
Then you beat him down.
Darn straight,
and he ain't never been back since.
You beat him down that last day.
Richard, if people can't change,
why are you here?
It's very nice.
I didn't hear you come in.
Why can't you transfer
to another seminary?
"Trust in the Lord, your God,
"and lean not upon
your own understanding."
Hebrew, too? You've been studying.
But you're not God.
And you're still waiting
for that personal appearance.
I'm here on probation, two semesters.
Assault and battery of a cop.
He thinks I'm here to be a minister.
I believe in reform.
We'll see.
"Wesbury TheoIogicaI CoIIege By-Laws. "
And?
If you get 70%% of the students
and faculty to sign your amendment,
it automatically goes in front of the board.
For obvious reasons,
they'd have to approve it.
That's a lot of signatures.
Meeting's December 1st.
That's 10 days away.
File your amendment then,
or wait another year.
Another year?
Very political for a girl from the jungle.
Moses, it's time for you to part the Red Sea.
That's right. We sign this petition
and it becomes school policy.
No marches, no protests, none of that.
And Wesbury becomes
a national leader in integration.
What could be easier?
-Good idea.
-Not mine.
You giving us the answer
to the Greek exam, scholar.
Why don't you just let it happen naturally?
Yeah, why do we have
to go through all this agitation?
Just so you get immediate results?
Okay, what has happened naturally
is an all white school.
Almost.
You're a first-year student
making policy changes.
Who put you in charge?
Actually, it's a job for anyone who wants it.
-Hey!
-Sit down, Fred!
-Hey, hey, hey!
-Hey!
Back off! Back off!
Get off! Get off!
You know, Alan,
bankers hate unstable environments.
-So, is your sister coming for the weekend?
-No.
That's too bad. Patsy's a lot of fun.
Did she say why?
I told her not to.
Hello. Hi, Brian.
No, no. We've finished.
He what?
Just like that?
Wow.
Yeah. Thanks, Brian. Good night.
Tremaine pulled all the funding
on the media center.
Something about re-evaluation.
Something's tragically wrong.
Listen, I'd like you to shut down
Richard's petition activity.
Why? It was all your idea.
I know, but...
What's the problem?
Richard's speeches, the petition,
where's it all leading?
Riots and bulldozers.
I doubt it.
I'd rather not take the chance.
You did not so long ago.
You had me taming the natives.
It's timing.
Just speak with him,
see if you can defuse it.
That's your job. I'm just a teacher.
Look, we both lost loved ones.
What's lost, is lost. You can't replace it.
"The first will be the last,
and the least among you, the greatest."
You're going to be a heck
of a preacher one day.
-Preacher?
-Yeah.
What you're studying for.
Look, McBride won't accept
handwritten essays.
So you can use my typewriter
if you don't need the letter "e."
-Yeah, sorry about that.
-No big deal.
There's a coin-op typewriter in the library.
Here. It was for my sister's birthday.
At least this way
she won't have to go out with you.
-The semester's not over yet.
-We'll see.
No, thank you, Bessie. I've had enough.
So, you're saying
he's not making his marks?
He's studying all the time.
I think he's taken on too much.
Schoolwork, the kitchen,
his mother's situation...
Why are you here, Dr. Beckett?
You know, Samuel, he looks up to you
for support and strength.
This petition, I'm afraid he'll fail
if he doesn't drop it.
-He's his own man, sir.
-Yes, he is.
Samuel, you've done wonders
with our gardens and I really appreciate it.
And I was hoping that
you might do wonders with Richard.
Thank you both. Good night.
Good night.
So, get these signatures in a week
and my amendment becomes law.
Pretty good, huh?
Let me tell you a story
about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
He was a minister in Nazi Germany
preaching against Hitler.
His friends,
they had to smuggle him to America.
Saved his life.
Two weeks later,
he was back in Germany, preaching.
-He escaped and came back?
-Yeah, and they hung him,
two weeks before
Hitler blew his own brains out.
-But he followed his conscience.
-Yeah.
But if he had just shut up for a while,
everything would've been all right.
What's your point?
Maybe you should be
more realistic about things.
You're the one that's been telling me
that pain is really treasure.
No, no.
See, maybe if you just put your nose
in your books and make some grades...
What do you mean?
You saying I should quit?
No, no, no, I think you should just think
about what you're doing for a minute.
-That's all.
-I knew it'd just be me in the end.
No, look, Richard, just not play the martyr.
I'm not playing anything.
Look, what about you?
Richard, please.
You don't understand what I'm saying.
Throughout the South, there are good
church folk involved in race wars,
police brutality...
How would you deal with it?
Can you do that later?
Pardon me.
Racism is in the North, too.
It's just more subtle.
Even so,
how would you instruct your congregation
to carry out God's will?
Carrying out God's will
has gotten a lot of innocent people killed.
Indeed it has.
"He who serves
will be greatest in the kingdom."
But will people follow a servant?
"Go forth and teach all nations."
So, what is it? Proclaim or serve?
What indeed?
Thursday, you and Mr. Kelly will present
a 30-minute debate on the subject,
"Serving versus Evangelizing."
Kelly, you have a phone call.
Mom wants to thank your schooI
for giving us that money.
No, no, not yet. I'll explain later.
Listen,
Roscoe's dead.
What?
I'm sorry,
I know you two were Iike brothers.
PoIice found him in his car, dead.
I think he might've done JoJo.
Weren't you and him visiting Mom
Iast Saturday?
No. I don't remember.
This is terrible.
But Mom's good, right?
Yeah, good.
Do you know who Richard Kelly really is?
Sorry about our argument.
I'm not too proud of that either.
You're the best friend I've got.
Thanks.
-This is the good stuff, man.
-Yeah.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I need to talk to you.
So, I'm on probation.
I'm here on probation.
Not to be a pastor.
Beckett saw me as his
in-house Martin Luther King.
So, I just played along
so I could get out and get that job back.
And I just got in deeper and deeper.
I'm a fraud.
Another fake working a scheme.
So, which one is it,
the fraud or the real man?
I march around here demanding justice.
I'm as much a hypocrite as all these people.
Two friends are dead.
I had an excuse not to talk
when Roscoe was alive,
but now I'm quitting.
No, you don't want the judge
to take you to the big house, do you?
And, hey, what's a guy like you
know about wickedness?
Look at me.
What do you see?
God's basement apostle.
A little bit more than 10 years ago,
I tried to drink myself to death.
They're just gonna let that little
dirty bird take me right on out of here.
My whole life was full of fighting
and stealing, lying.
I woke up in this dumpster, all in this trash,
and I heard this voice.
But it wasn't mine, but it wasn't a stranger.
It said,
"Samuel, rise up out of the trash
and live." You know?
So, I did.
Way before you step before him,
people are going to be happy
you rose out of that dumpster, too.
Rise up and do what?
Tell the cops about JoJo?
Quit this place? Or keep making speeches
so they flunk me out?
All of them lead to another
black man in prison.
No, look, look.
So, now you got these three choices, right?
Behind one of them is God,
so you're gonna have to pray hard
to find out which one it is.
And when you make that choice,
you follow it all the way to the end
and you never, ever look back.
Sorry for the interruption.
It's okay.
Richard, I wanted you to know how much
I appreciate all the work you're doing here.
And I do believe you deserve
an adjustment in your grades.
"I am the true vine
and my Father is the gardener.
"He cuts away from me every branch
that does not bear fruit."
Exactly.
And we need to do some
pruning around here.
That amendment for starters.
You challenged me to change this place.
I know I did, but not with violence, Richard.
The staff is demanding action,
people are calling.
I've tried my best,
but people are terrified of another Watts.
What happened to my best ally?
My $10 million expansion
is in jeopardy because of you.
-So, that's what this is about.
-That's part of it.
Look, I'm the one being crucified here.
And it was supposed to be me?
It wasn't supposed to be anyone.
This was to be a peaceful transition.
Look, you're young.
There's a real world out there to deal with.
And the real world wants its $10 million.
Dr. Beckett, I'm submitting that amendment.
You saw the photograph of my son.
Didn't you know that the point man
is always the first to get it?
But not in the back.
I know about your probation.
Tremaine's group did all the research
and they gave it to me.
-And?
-And?
And you lied to me.
You told me you came
here to be a minister,
a man of conviction.
I didn't know that then...
You didn't know that I was covering
for your fights,
overruling professors
who wanted to flunk you out.
You are right, I lied.
Yes, and you made speeches condemning
people that you knew nothing about.
This isn't about me.
This is about doing the right thing.
We are, Richard,
all of us attempting to do the right thing.
I will call that judge.
If your probation is in violation,
you could go to prison.
Richard,
drop this amendment.
And I will see that
you sail right through here.
Free to pursue your dreams.
How could the president of a seminary
stoop so low?
Leaders have to make tough decisions,
my friend.
You enter that board meeting,
I will pick up the phone.
Then it's out of my hands.
I am the gardener, Richard.
I do the pruning.
I thought I was safe up here.
Don't you have something to tell me?
You made an A on your exam.
Don't play with me.
Who's playing?
Beckett says Tremaine is pulling
his millions because of me, my petition.
Drop it or else...
I didn't set you up.
I only got half the signatures required.
If I am getting busted,
I'm going down for a good reason.
Why don't you just lay down for him
and get out?
I was praying
and it seemed like I got a message.
The last time I heard God's voice,
I was staring at three coffins.
I'm sorry.
For the coffins,
or what he said?
I didn't mean to interrupt.
Thanks.
What did the voice say?
"I love them, too."
"Come to the throne of grace
"with your pain,
"with your emptiness and receive my hope.
"Come with boldness and expectation.
"Look now,
"for I am about to do a new thing.
"Do you not perceive it?"
Now it doesn't sound like a place
that you want to be.
She wants Roscoe's drug money.
I talked to your brother.
He told me that place was a slaughterhouse.
I'll be smart about it.
What?
Punks with guns, they don't know smart.
Hey, man, Lisa Kreemack says
she saw you at the shooting.
Where she Iive?
Stay cIear of that.
Cops don't even go there, man.
What the heck's wrong with you?
I need to use your car.
What are you, high?
You been smoking or something?
Look, it's an emergency.
Look, I'll pay you $20.
Here's five. I'll pay you the rest later.
I just need to talk to this woman.
Look, nobody cares about you
or your little ghetto problem, okay?
Get out of here.
-Wait, Nick...
-All right, you want to go, tough guy?
Come on, bring it on, tough guy.
Let's go. Come on!
What the heck's wrong with you, man?
Look, it's like this.
I'm on probation,
and this girl is gonna finger me
for something I didn't do.
Wow, so now the truth comes out.
What is it about you brothers, huh?
What, you can't keep out of freaking jail?
Right. Us darkies just love
that prison food, okay?
What you do?
They said I assaulted a cop, but I didn't.
You? What, did you throw a protest sign
at him or something?
I knocked one out with a blackjack.
You?
Yeah, me.
Get in, Cassius.
Okay, pull up right here. Yeah, it's here.
-Right here?
-Yeah.
This is it?
It's about as close to the hood
I'm a take you.
What do you want me to do?
You want me to stick around?
No, no, you keep these wheels rolling
or I'll find you in a ditch somewhere.
I'll meet you here in about 10.
Good luck, Cassius.
Lisa Kreemack?
Got the money?
You gonna make me stand out here?
College boy, you better give me that $5,000
or your black butt is going to jail.
Listen, I came here to tell you
I had nothing to do with that shooting.
You liar! I seen you come out.
-No, no.
-Yes!
He was the only man
that ever treat me good
and a sorry coon like you got him killed.
-Listen, that's not...
-Sit down!
Where's Roscoe's money, you little punk?
He was my friend, too.
I was trying to do him a favor.
Yeah, well, some big favor.
Listen, I don't have a dime...
That's for you.
Liar! You better come up with that cash
'cause Roscoe's people's
looking for your butt!
Yeah, Negro,
and they kill you quick as that.
I told you, I didn't have anything...
Don't you remember me from JoJo's,
where Roscoe was roughing you up?
Who's this fool?
-Hey, you two, move over there.
-All right.
Move. Come on!
I'm sorry.
I forgive you.
Heavenly Father,
I pray that you help him rise up
out of the spirit of oppression.
Free this man. Free him from every curse.
Free him from the curse
of generational bondage.
Please, Holy Spirit, free my brother.
Free him.
Hey, Georgia boy.
You ain't Roscoe's people.
Girl, you best shut up.
Let's go. Come on.
William.
Thank you, thank you all for coming.
I am sure our debate will begin shortly.
Nick, where's your opponent?
I don't know, Professor.
Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly,
showmanship is not a test of ideas.
Nick got his revenge.
And then some.
Hey, that wasn't me.
He just tried to make peace with somebody
who didn't want any.
Richard Kelly's term paper
asks the question,
"Are we any wiser than
they were 2,000 years ago?"
Hey, buddy, you okay?
Bill, don't look at James.
You decide.
-All right, sit down.
-This is too much.
Sit down.
I won't have this ridiculous display. Just...
Yeah, I know. This again?
I'm hoping you reconsider.
There's only two days
before the board meeting.
And maybe you were against me
and my ghetto ways,
but you're good people and our hearts
are guided by the same spirit.
We're all called to act on our faith,
not our fear.
On what we believe over what we know.
And seeing these friends
and opponents stand up,
I truly believe that.
Now more than ever.
All right, all right.
That's enough, that's enough.
Gentlemen, all right, you made your point,
you had your fun.
All right, anyone from my class who
participates in this is going to receive an F.
Remember your careers.
Where you going?
I'm leaving.
I wiII caII that judge.
You couId go to prison.
Janitor, gardener... You the trashman, too?
The Lord has entrusted me
with the care of this pIace,
and I'm not gonna Iet anybody
defiIe it whiIe I'm here.
As always, we are honored to have
our board members present
for our annual meeting,
chaired by Mr. Brian Thomas.
What you looking at?
You're not going anywhere.
Kate said to get there at 1 1 :00 so Beckett
wouldn't have time to call the police.
Police, Samuel?
I don't like this tricky business.
I know.
Then do something.
I told you both
not to mess with these people.
You also said I had a calling on my life.
But not like this.
Look at that gorgeous face.
Bessie, I know you're trying
to look out for me,
but I have to do this.
Let him go.
Thank you, Mr. Perkins.
That would be all for new business.
Yeah.
So, this new media center, is that for us to
hang out and watch movies and stuff or...
Fired and evicted.
We'll find another place, another job.
What kind of talk is that?
I'm not sorry for anything that I have said
or anything that I have done.
I want my life to be more than
just mopping floors.
Yeah, and I don't want my life
to be just not drinking.
I want to leave something behind.
I want something I've said
to make a difference.
I want to leave some footprints
in the garden.
Samuel,
to me, you are the garden.
That'll end our annual board meeting.
If Dr. Margetson could lead us in prayer?
One last piece of business, sir.
I would like to formally submit
a recruitment and hiring amendment,
complete with signatures
of faculty and staff.
This letter reinstates Samuel for life,
both his job and his apartment.
You drop all of this and it's yours.
For life?
For life.
I've been entrusted with something.
So unnecessary.
Way to go, hoss.
And the seas parted.
Now, we just have to get to the other side.
I don't know if I did the right thing.
I do.
What about you?
Police!
Can't they wait?
Come in.
What?
What's going on?
Sorry.
Look, I got Kimmy to show me where
Beckett keeps his personal papers.
You mean you just
found this laying around?
Yeah, pretty much.
It was in the desk, so I had to just...
The letter Beckett tried to bribe me with.
Now what?
Alan, you're going to have
to take a leave of absence.
Brian, I have loyally served this
institution for 25 years.
A bribe letter?
Threatening Kelly's probation?
I wasn't going through with it.
You need to think about
what you've done here.
Stansfield, you challenged me
on the leadership of the school.
Yeah, I've had sleepless nights
about that, too.
But in the end, it was Richard Kelly
who was asking all the right questions.
He was always arguing on behalf of faith,
which your learned professors
regard as some irrelevant,
sentimental emotion.
That's the leadership I care about.
We can fix that.
Sorry, not my kind of investment.
Mr. Kelly, I called that judge,
I vouched for you.
I'd like you to come work for me. My card.
Thank you, sir.
Give me a call. Good day.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Dr. Beckett, you were half right.
I am not the one that prunes the garden,
but neither are you.
Then who is?
He's the one, sir,
who holds your breath in his hands.
Yeah.
Mom said it was the first time she was
ever glad not to know what was going on.
And old Tremaine giving you
a better job than before.
-There you go.
-Yeah.
-You know what Kate said?
-What?
There's gonna be 20 or more
black students here next semester
and some professors.
Then we'll have to move.
I ain't gonna go through that no more.
-Go ahead.
-Yeah.
But I am staying.
-Another semester?
-All of it.
Well, what about that offer?
You're free to choose, you know.
Samuel,
-when I took my own walk in that garden...
-Yeah?
...I saw your footprints
and then I saw someone else's.
And all those dreams I was holding on to,
they just fell through my fingers like mist
and I saw that treasure.
All right, Georgia boy.
Now that's what I'm talking about.