VISITED ONE CITY YOU MAY RECOGNIZE, WITH THE POWER OF THE
GAME ENOUGH TO CHANGE A
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. >> LISTEN UP.
>> Reporter: IT WAS A STORY SO
INCREDIBLE, HOLLYWOOD TOOK
NOTICE.
NOTICE. >> I DON’T CARE IF YOU LIKE EACH
OTHER OR NOT.
YOU WILL RESPECT EACH OTHER.
>> Reporter: THE 2000 DISNEY
FILM "REMEMBER THE TIALTITANS,"
STARRING DENZEL WASHINGTON, TOLD
THE STORY OF A CITY PUSHING
TOWARD INTEGRATION, AND THE
FOOTBALL TEAM THAT ULTIMATELY
HELPED UNITE IT.
>> IN THE FILM, IT SEEMS AS IF
THE CHANGE REALLY HAPPENED
ALMOST OVERNIGHT.
ALMOST OVERNIGHT. WAS IT THAT FAST?
>> NO.
>> NO. NO.
NO. >> WE DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
>> WE LEARNED TO GET ALONG WITH
EACH OTHER AS A TEAM BY THE TIME
WE WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN
DECEMBER.
DECEMBER. WE HAD UNIFIED THE CITY TO A
DEGREE.
DEGREE. >> FANS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
FIELD.
FIELD. >> Reporter: EARL COOK AND MIKE
LYNCH WERE TWO OF THE REAL LIME
TIE
TIE LIFE TITANS ON THE FOOTBALL
TEAM.
TEAM. ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, STILL
RESISTANT TO THE GOVERNMENT’S
PUSH FOR INTEGRATION, COMBINED
ITS THREE RIVAL HIGH SCHOOLS
INTO ONE, STARTING THAT FALL.
BLACK AND WHITE STUDENTS WOULD
BE SIDE BY SIDE FOR THE FIRST
TIME EVER.
TIME EVER. DID YOU APPRECIATE THEN THAT YOU
WERE A PART OF THIS GREAT
NATIONAL EXPERIMENT CALLED
INTEGRATION?
INTEGRATION? >> I KNOW I DID NOT APPRECIATE
IT THEN.
IT THEN. I SEE NOW THAT WHAT WE, THE
KIDS, ACCOMPLISHED WAS A GOOD
THING.
THING. >> IN THE MOMENT, IT WAS ALL
ABOUT THE ATHLETICS.
100%.
100%. >> YOU KNEW MIKE WAS WHITE.
HE KNEW YOU WERE BLACK.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE IN
ATHLETICS.
ATHLETICS. ALL THROUGH THE SPORTS, YOUR
TEAMMATES ARE YOUR TEAMMATES.
YOU BOND.
YOU BOND. >> Reporter: A BOND ONLY MADE
POSSIBLE UNDER THE TOUGH AND
UNCOMPROMISING GUIDANCE OF
COACHES HERMAN BOONE AND BE
YOLKS.YOLK
YOLKS.YOLK S
S S THEY BET ON THE HOPE THAT A
WINNING TEAM COULD TURN THE TIDE
ON RACIAL CONFLICT, BRINGING THE
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
>> THEY ASKED US, BECAUSE OF THE
TENSION, TO WEAR OUR FOOTBALL
JERSEYS, THE TEAM JERSEYS, AND
PAIR UP, WHITE GUY AND BLACK
GUY, AND PATROL THE HALLS.
WE WERE DEMONSTRATING THAT WE’RE
TEAMMATES.
TEAMMATES. SHOWING THEM THE WAY.
>> Reporter: THE ’71 TITANS
DOMINATED ON THE FIELD.
THEIR UNDEFEATED SEASON RESULTED
IN A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WIN.
BUT THEIR TRUE VICTORY WAS A NEW
SENSE OF HOPE FOR A BETTER
FUTURE.
FUTURE. THIS IS THE FIELD WHERE ALL THE
MEMORIES WERE MADE.
>> WE NEVER LOST ON THIS FIELD.
THIS WAS A PLACE OF VICTORY FOR
US.
US. IT WAS THE HIGHEST MOMENT AND
ONE OF THE LOWEST MOMENTS.
>> THEN YOU LOOK BACK AND SAY,
BOY, THAT FOOTBALL TEAM REALLY
WAS A KEY COMPONENT OF MOVING
THIS THING ALONG AT THIS SCHOOL.
>> Reporter: TODAY, THE LEGACY
OF THAT ’71 TITANS TEAM IS
CLEAR, THE HALLS OF T.C.
WILLIAMS ARE NOW FILLED WITH
NEARLY 4,000 STUDENTS FROM 114
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. >> WE COME TOGETHER AS TITANS.
>> Reporter: MARISSA’S FAMILY IS
FROM BRAZIL.
FROM BRAZIL. MA
MA MAMOOD IS FROM SUDAN.
>> THERE’S DIVERSITY IN SOME
PLACES AND NOT ANY IN OTHERS.
>> Reporter: THE GRADUATING
STUDENTS SAY DESPITE WHAT’S
CHANGED, STUDENTS STILL STRUGGLE
WITH MODERN DAY SEGREGATION.
>> I REMEMBER MY FIRST DAY AT
LUNCH, THE CALFFETERIA WAS
BASICALLY SELF-SEGREGATED, AND I
WAS VERY SHOCKED.
I WAS LIKE, WAIT, AM I AT THE
RIGHT SCHOOL?
RIGHT SCHOOL? THIS IS "REMEMBER THE TITANS."
WHAT?
WHAT? >> Reporter: THIS ISN’T A DISNEY
MOVIE.
MOVIE. >> I KNOW, IT WASN’T.
>> Reporter: SO THE SCHOOL IS
INTEGRATED, BUT THE SOCIAL
CIRCLES INSIDE THE SCHOOL ARE
STILL VERY MUCH SEGREGATED.
>> VERY.
>> VERY. >> YOU’LL SEE ONE WHITE PERSON
IN A CROWD OF TEN PEOPLE AND
VICE VERSA.
VICE VERSA. ALL THE LATINOS HANG OUT
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. I THINK ONE BIG STEP WE’RE
TAKING IS WITH AKCKNOWLEDGEMENTA
WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS AND CHANGE
WE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
MAKE YEARS AGO.
>> Reporter: PROGRESS AND
CHANGE.
CHANGE. THE CITY’S FIRST BLACK CHIEF OF
POLICE BELIEVES IT’S POSSIBLE.
>> THERE’S BEEN STEADY PROGRESS.
WE SLIP SIDE BACK, THEN WE MAKE
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS. I CAME BACK TO WORK AND LIVE
HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY BECAUSE I