Dear White People Page #4

---

Lionel walks alone through the buzzing campus. He looks out

to..

...a group of BLACK KIDS. He sees a version of himself

amongst them - his hair a finger waved Ceasar fade, as he

trades “No Homo’s” with the others.

Lionel shakes it off. Peers over to a group of out and proud

gay kids and sees a version of himself amongst them - his

hair straightened and coifed in a fitted shirt laughing.

Not right either. Where does he fit? By surprise...

GEORGE:

Lionel right?

GEORGE PIERCE, 24, an intellectual whose tattooed quotes from

Nietzsche peek out seductively from under his button up.

GEORGE (CONT’D)

George. We had Civ last semester?

How you doing?

LIONEL:

Grood...Gate...I’m ah..

GEORGE:

Fan of your stuff. In the Observer?

LIONEL:

No one reads the Observer.

GEORGE:

You seen this?

George hands Lionel Sam’s “Missing Black Culture” flyer.

18.

GEORGE (CONT’D)

The residents of Armstrong / Parker

just made her head of house. Am I

crazy or is there a there there?

LIONEL:

What made you come over here?

George holds up Sam’s “Ebony & Ivy.” Lionel takes it.

LIONEL (CONT’D)

I mean I’m glad you came -

GEORGE:

-- My staff? God bless them.

They’re whiter than Michael

Jackson’s kids. We’re f***ed if

anyone of them writes this story

and I will not let the transfers at

the Gazette do it first.

LIONEL:

The oldest one has his face.

GEORGE:

You’re in the Black Student Union.

You probably know Sam.

Lionel shakes his head “yes” and “no” at the same time.

GEORGE (CONT’D)

You come up with a good angle? I

want it in the Bugle.

Lionel eyes the bold “Bugle” logo on George’s shirt.

LIONEL:

(aside)

Trumpet...

GEORGE:

Bugle. Focus. The only paper on

campus with a national subscription

base and an Advisor from the New

York Times? Only so many ways a

person can distinguish themselves

at a place like this Lionel. You’re

good. You belong with us.

The way Lionel fights the smile creeping up his face - we

know he’s never heard these words. Never belonged any place.

Doesn’t hurt there’s a handsome boy smiling at him either.

19.

20 INT. ARMSTRONG/PARKER DINING HALL - DAY 20

Troy and Sam sit across from each other at a table. Their

opposite facing laptops and a world of tension put a wall

between them.

TROY:

Get it yet?

Sam shakes her head yes.

TROY (CONT’D)

Good. You’ve now got the shared

calendar, contacts, and official

email.

Troy throws a smirk her way before pulling out a thick stack

of papers.

TROY (CONT’D)

Oh and before I forget.

SAM:

Event requests for the year?

TROY:

Just this month. They need your

approval. Also don’t forget to pick

your office hours. At least 20 per

week.

SAM:

That’s absurd.

TROY:

You’re in charge of a hundred

residents now. And they need time

to complain to your face. About

noise. Leaky pipes. Gluten free

options in the cafeteria. Etcetera.

SAM:

Troy. I didn’t think I was going to

win.

TROY:

And by the way petitioning the

President on the Randomization of

Housing Act isn’t gonna do sh*t.

None of the other houses are

concerned.

20.

SAM:

Because they all have a legacy of

rich and powerful allies on the

board who will make sure that

“random” works out to their

advantage.

TROY:

And you think a petition is going

to change that?

Troy gets up to leave as Reggie sits - suspicious. Sam’s

phone buzzes:
“MOM.” The letters chill Sam to the core.

21 INT. ARMSTRONG / PARKER - DAY 21

Lionel steps his way through the hall, a deer in headlights

with a notepad. He flips through Sam’s “EBONY & IVY” book...

SAM (V.O.)

The Armstrong / Parker dining hall

is the epicenter of Black culture

as it stands at Manchester. Only

here can you commiserate, celebrate

and discuss everything from Kanye

West lyrics to theoretical

relativism all in one sitting. Not

to mention find someone who can

actually do your hair.

ARMSTRONG / PARKER DINING HALL - CONTINUOUS

Lionel enters and takes a place in a line. He absorbs this

lively and somewhat alien dining hall.

Troy now holds court near the windows at a table of eight or

so friends including Martin and SUNGMI, a lip ringed Korean

art major.

MARTIN:

“We wuz robbed.” That election was

suspect man.

Martin glares at Reggie and his giant souped-up Laptop. Sam

breaks this by sitting back down - her phone call ending.

SAM:

You call me the minute there’s an

update. Love you too mom.

Sam hangs up. The call’s really put her in a bad place. She

sits at a table of her Bofros - who we’ll name by their hair.

21.

CURLS:

There is one other sister in my

Relativity class, I’ll be damned if

our professor doesn’t call me

Laretta every God damn time.

DREADS:

We all look the same.

REGGIE:

Programming professor gets me and

Martin here mixed up constantly.

MARTIN:

You should be so lucky.

Reggie glances over at Martin’s Mac Air.

REGGIE:

Cute. You get that at Toys R Us?

Sam pulls out her Mac and her student ID card.

REGGIE (CONT’D)

You still using your ID number?

SAM:

I always forget passwords.

REGGIE:

You are begging to get hacked.

SAM:

Good thing the one evil techno-

genius thinking like that is on my

side.

Sam pushes aside all the paperwork on her table.

SAM (CONT’D)

So this is what the revolution

looks like? Office hours and

paperwork.

Sam pulls her camera out - starts to shoot the room.

REGGIE:

Winning was a happy accident. We

want the reform repealed right?

CURLS:

Means to an end, sister.

22.

Sam feels the heat of her disciples’ eyes on her as the topic

of the day rages on with the entrance of Coco, who sits with

a group of well manicured hot-ironed group of girls, white

and Black.

COCO:

The talented tenth always has to

bust its ass a little bit harder,

but I don’t see the benefit in

blaming white folks for everything.

CURLS:

Who’s blaming?

TROY:

I don’t see the issue. I never had

one. Never ran into any lynch mobs.

Lionel takes a seat alone facing the action.

Kurt and crew enter with plates of mac and cheese and sit in

the heart of the conversation. Lionel avoids eye contact.

SAM:

Lynch mob is still there. Just re-

branded itself.

TROY:

As what pray tell?

REGGIE:

The Republican party.

SAM:

Want to know how this world sees

you? Go to a Young Republican’s

meeting and bring up Welfare.

SUNGMI:

Or Immigration.

LIONEL:

(aside)

Or gay equality.

KURT:

Bullshit.

MARTIN:

I agree. Got something to add?

KURT:

The biggest athletes, movie stars,

hell your president is Black.

(MORE)

23.

KURT (CONT'D)

Sometimes I think the hardest thing

to be in the American work force

right now is an educated white guy.

SUNGMI:

You’re not serious.

KURT:

You guys still got affirmative

action, you’re set.

REGGIE:

This sh*t.

SAM:

What are you doing in here?

KURT:

Obama. Leader of the free world got

into Harvard on affirmative action.

Know who’s not president right now?

The guy that didn’t get in.

Rate this script:4.0 / 4 votes