The dramatic film Radio depicts the true story of a South Carolina town's initial reluctant
embrace of a mentally challenged African American teenager in the year 1964.
"James is a good boy, Coach.
He got his self a good heart.
Most folks just don't take the time to see it, is all."
"I just want to help you."
"I'm just going to cut the tape off you.
You gotta hold still, you gotta hold still.
Look at me, hold still, I'm not gonna hurt you.
Hold still, I don't want to cut you.
It's all right.
Calm down a little bit.
It's okay.
I got it."
After witnessing several football players beat and mistreat the young man known as Radio,
their high school coach intervenes and invites Radio to help out the team.
"What's he doing?"
"Oops."
"Careful."
"Sorry."
"You got yourself a distraction that needs dealing with."
"A distraction?"
Racial prejudice and an unwillingness to accommodate the disabled brought many in the community
to view Radio as a worthless liability and needless distraction.
"None of us has any experience with having a severely retarded man-" Members of the school
board don't believe Radio can fit in with other students, and urge the coach to stop
trying to integrate him into the community.
"This school is the reason he's doing as well as he's doing."
"But, to keep him in a school setting-" "You take him out of this school, you might as
well just take his life from him."
"I have compiled a list of outside care agencies-" "Oh, I'll bet you have."
"We got ourselves a young man we're not thinking about."
But the coach helps them see past Radio's disability and recognize the young man's selfless
heart, sense of responsibility, and willingness to forgive those who hurt him the most.
"I know some of you don't know or don't care about all that Radio's learned over these
past few months, but truth is, we're not the ones been teaching Radio.
Radio's the one been teaching us.
The way he treats us all the time is the way we wish we treated each other even part of
the time."
Human rights are universal, and everyone should be treated with respect and dignity.
Government leaders have a special responsibility to ensure that the disabled aren't cast aside,
but are helped to become valued contributors to their community.
"Way to go Radio, all right!"
"He has decided to return this coming fall as an 11th grade student at Hanna, where
he will be welcomed for as many such years as he so chooses.