Original subtitles

Good morning, everyone.

Hey, Bo!

Well, I hope you all decided on your projects for the African American

Festival. So, T, what's your project about?

Uh, well, I was going to show how stepping with my frat brothers is

African dance.

I like that.

Yeah, me too.

I have an idea for my project.

Good. You.

Not good.

Well, here's another idea.

My great -uncle Willie played for the Negro Baseball League.

I'd like to do my project about him.

I love baseball. That sounds great.

Great. Oh, he was awesome.

He was so fast, he could turn out the lights and be in baby for the room

dark.

Poof.

Ms. Parker, I...

I believe that was Satchel Paige that said that about Cool Papa Bell.

Please, he must have stolen that from my uncle.

Oh, look.

It's late and later.

The stoplight didn't work, and the stop sign was broken, too.

Did you know an African -American invented the stoplight? Garrett Morgan.

Oh, Garrett Morgan. I love him on the Jamie Foxx show.

Baby, it's Garrett Morris.

Ooh, where?

Kim, why don't you tell us what your project's about?

Um, well, Stevie and I, we're doing ours together.

Tell them, Stevie.

Um, yeah, we were thinking of doing our project on, um, African -American

inventors.

Good eyes.

You know what would really make that work?

You do it for us.

if you two would experience living without African -American inventions for

week.

Okay, I'll give that a shot.

I can live with that. Can you live without getting your hair done?

What are you talking about, Mama?

Well, Madam C .J. Walker invented the hair relaxer.

So you're saying I can get my touch -ups?

Baby, you can't get your hair permed, pressed, or curled.

Oh, we need a new project.

How's your project coming? Oh, I've been working real hard.

Any luck finding the correlation between stepping and African dance?

Yeah, both involve feet.

Oh, feet, as in F?

Hey, Professor Ogilvy. Hey, Miss Parker.

Uh, Professor, remember you said you love baseball?

Oh, yeah, I'm a huge fan. I try to make it to as many games as I can.

Oh, me too.

Maybe sometime we can, uh, make a game together.

make a baby together.

My God, woman. You even managed to ruin America's favorite pastime.

You're my favorite pastime.

What's up with the bag lady look? Y 'all pleasant again?

No, Einstein. We're living without the use of African -American inventions,

remember? Oh, I tell you.

Where are the paper shoes?

Jan Ernst, Matt Fligger invented the automatic shoemaking machine.

And, uh, Why the hats?

Bad hair day.

The hot comb was invented by Walter Sanders.

And, uh, why the mismatched clothes?

They had to get dressed in the dark.

Now, I know a brother didn't invent electricity.

No, but a sister forgot to pay the light bill.

So, Nikki, how's your project going?

Great. Did you know one year my Uncle Willie hit 75 home runs?

And he led the league in steals nine years in a row.

Dang, Nikki, your uncle was off the hook. I'm surprised no one's heard of

Me neither.

Even the Baseball Hall of Fame didn't know who he was.

Wow, it sounds like he never got the credit he deserved.

Oh, I know how he feels.

I went to Tarjay, and I couldn't get credit either.

I'm just kidding.

I got credit.

Well, I say we do something for your Uncle Willie.

I am.

I'm honoring him at the festival, and I'm... to get his name on SMC's baseball

field. Who needs a petition?

$20 so I can have one of my boys spray painted on by midnight.

Forget it, T. I don't want my uncle's name tagged on the outfield wall.

You know, it's a good thing that your relatives told you about your uncle.

Otherwise, you'd never have known he was such a legend.

There's a lot we wouldn't have known if it hadn't been passed down from one

generation to the next.

That's oral history, baby.

See, Mama, that's the reason why I'm always on the phone.

I'm passing along history.

Oh.

Shelly and hair.

Really, we hadn't noticed.

Kim, did you go cloud -topping with our gas bill money again?

No, Mama.

Alice H. Parker invented the heating furnace, so we can use it.

I'm gonna let you two slide on this one, because I'm not living like no Eskimo.

Now, Stevie, go turn on the heat.

No can do. Frederick McKinley Jones invented the thermostat in 1960.

Ah! Well, in the year 2001, Nikki Parker rediscovered the thermostat, and she's

turning it on.

Mama, how did your petition go today?

Better than I expected.

I even got the professor's signature.

Wow, you're really on a roll.

Yep, right up to the altar.

What are you talking about, Mama? Well, see, the professor... I thought he was

signing a petition, but actually he was signing a marriage license.

You're joking, right? Nope.

The joke's on him.

And tomorrow I'm going to put my engagement ring on layaway.

if you write your phone number down, too, I can contact you personally with

results.

See, this is a petition, not your little black book.

Whatever. I'm not giving this to Nikki so I get all my digits.

Guys, I'm getting snacks from the Grubhub. It's on me.

Oh, wait, Kim.

Bertram F. Baker invented the automatic cash register.

I know that.

Well, then you also know they'll be using a register to ring you up.

Now, I have a new cutie on the register that gives me my girl for free.

No ka -ching for me.

What'd you bring for school?

I just wanted to share a little family history with y 'all. And score a few

brownie points with the professor.

Man, check out the names on this baseball.

Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige.

Man, you can get a lot of money for this.

Please, T. Nobody wants an old ball.

Especially with all their writing on it.

I'm not selling this stuff.

Uncle Willie's things should be treasured. He was a pioneer.

Yeah, and that's not all.

According to this newspaper article, he wasn't just a baseball player.

He was also an ex -con.

My great -uncle Willie was an ex -con?

Yeah, I'm sorry, Nikki. It says right here he was sentenced to 15 years in an

Alabama prison.

There must be some kind of mistake.

Oh, yeah, you're right. See, told you. It was 17 years.

Let me see that.

I guess that part kind of got left out of your family's oral history, huh?

But, you know, it's still all good.

Except here he trapped a drugstore and robbed it. He went to prison for that?

he did that today, he'd have a shoe contract.

Hey, everybody.

Oh, hey, hey, Professor Ogilvie. Hey, Miss Walker.

What's in the box?

Oh, just some knickknacks, paddywhacks, give a dog a bone.

Well, you have the whole campus talking about your uncle.

You think they're talking now? Just wait.

I gotta admit, I'm pretty excited about the tribute.

And guess who's coming to speak?

Billy Scoots Washington.

Who?

Scoots Washington.

He knew your uncle.

What'd he start time for?

I mean, what'd he do?

He was on the same team with your uncle. Isn't that great?

Yeah. Oh, happy day.

I contacted him, and he cannot wait to come tell us all about your uncle.

Oh, then he must know that Uncle Willie was an exceptional baseball player.

Ah, this is going to be the best festival we ever had.

Miss Parker, you deserve a hug.

And T's going to give it to you.

African Americans also invented fitted bed sheets, folding chairs, bark plugs,

ironing boards, cell phones.

Something a sister couldn't do without.

That and call ID.

Through our experience, we have concluded that it's virtually impossible

one's life without using inventions by African Americans.

And finally, one of the greatest creations of all time by an African

is...

What you got?

Check this out, Professor.

That's it?

Yeah, what do you think?

I think you'll be taking this course for the third time.

Professor, I was just giving you a little taste. See, I don't have my frat

brothers to back me up.

but we're throwing down at that festival with that real newbie in flavor. Sit

down.

All right, Ms. Parker.

Yes? You're next.

Oh, my project's not ready. I need more time.

Uh, how much?

A year.

Try 17.

Ms. Parker, is there something you're not telling me?

Yes, I'm not telling you about my project.

Do you have any idea how much people have done for you? The schools even

to name the field after your uncle.

Really? Yes!

And I have a plaque coming from the Negro League Baseball Museum, and I have

scoots coming to present it to you. So you better get it together before the

festival, because I do not plan on being embarrassed in front of the entire

college. Do you understand me, Miss Parker?

Oh, stop it, Professor.

Your anger is turning me on.

Great -uncle the jailbird.

Yeah, and the school went and named the field after him.

How could this happen?

It might have had something to do with that petition you started.

Who knew those things worked?

I say you just ride this one out. If they don't ask, don't tell.

Girl, please, that dumb idea doesn't even work for the military.

The right thing to do is to tell the truth.

Well, I know you're not going to do that.

You're right.

If I did, the professor would never speak to me again.

He really don't want to speak to you now.

Now, I'm going to make sure that Scoots never gets here. How are you going to

pull that off?

With your help. You must have sucked up too much of that alizé.

Come on. Now, I'll hook you up with that little pizza boy you've been dreaming

about day and night.

Really? Yeah.

So then you can have a little tenderoni with your pepperoni.

Scoots ain't going to make it.

There really is a correlation between step and an African dance.

Mm -hmm, and they dance alike, too.

Oh, hey, how did it go? Did you find Scoots? Yeah, picked him up at the

dropped him off at the DeVry Institute.

Why there?

It was the first campus I came to.

Miss Parker, it's showtime. You said you'd pick up Scoots. Where is he? Well,

the person I sent to the airport couldn't find him.

Guess you gotta start the tribute without him.

He is the tribute.

Well, isn't this a pickle?

I guess I'll have to present the plaque to you.

May I have your attention, please?

We're here to honor not only African -American culture and history, but to

tribute to an amazing man, the great Negro League baseball legend... Mr.

Alexander.

Now, we had hoped that Mr. Billy Scoots Washington, a teammate of Mr. Alexander,

would be able to speak to us about him, but unfortunately, he couldn't make it.

Nikki, there's that old guy I dropped off at DeVry.

Thank you all for coming out. Drive home safely. Good night.

Excuse me. Is this the tribute to Willie Alexander?

No, it's not.

Who are you?

Scoots Washington.

Scoots Washington? Oh, thank goodness you made it. I'm Professor Stanley

Ogilvie. Oh, I'm sorry I'm late. Some lady dropped me off at DeVry Institute.

We would love for you to say a few words about Mr. Alexander.

Sure. No, no.

He's too late, and it's over. Miss Parker, stop, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, please give a big round of applause for Mr. Billy Scoots

Washington.

Thank you. I'm really happy to be here tonight to talk to you about Willie

Alexander.

I knew Willie a long time, and he was the greatest baseball player I'd ever

seen. I mean, he could hit.

He could run, and man, could he steal.

Oh, and I was the room spinning.

Yeah, Willie was some kind of ball player.

But more importantly, to many, he was a hero.

So I'm real proud to present this plaque from the Negro League Baseball Museum

to his great niece, Ms.

Nikki Parker.

Thank you, Mr. Washington. This is a great honor.

But I can't accept it. It's not right.

What's going on, Ms. Parker?

Mr. Washington is being very kind.

And yes, my uncle was a great baseball player.

But he was no hero.

He robbed a drugstore and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

17.

Excuse me, young lady, that's only part of the story.

Oh, he robbed more than one drugstore?

No. You see, Willie went down to this drugstore to get his sick wife some

medicine. But the owner didn't want to sell it to him because he was a Negro.

Willie ripped up that store with his bat until the owner gave him the medicine.

And then Willie paid him and left.

So the store owner lied?

Yeah. Well, he didn't rob that man.

And he served 17 years in prison for ripping up that store.

So you have nothing to be ashamed of.

And neither did he.

Thank you, Mr. Watson.

Hey, don't I know you?

No speaker of English.

It sure did.

And Miss Parker, you've earned an egg. And you've earned a kiss.

Pucker up, T.

These are some of the players from the Negro Leagues.

For more than half a century, the best African -American baseball players were

not allowed to play on the same field with the white players, except in a few

all -star games.

This color line was officially demolished in 1947 when Jackie Robinson

it to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, thus opening the gates to Negro League

players.

However, for many, it was too late.

They had already swung their last bat, thrown their last pitch, and scored

their last run.

I like that.

I have an idea for my project.

You have to lie.

How's your project coming?

Oh, uh, I forgot my line.

Get together and...