Diversity Case

History has shown that society has struggled and progressed regarding race and diversity. Although the separation between races has come a long way, it is still existing in society today. Remember the Titans is an inspirational movie that illustrates a high school football team struggling with integration of their race and cultures. A federal mandate combined one black and one white high school to form T.C. Williams High School. Before the mandate was in effect, school systems in Virginia had been segregated based on race. The powerful aspect of diversity in this movie come from the team's ability to overcome their differences and embrace diversity. By doing this, they act as a unifying symbol for the community and empower people to bring about change for the better of society.

Throughout the film we see a major change in the black-white relationship. In the beginning, tension and hatred is portrayed between whites and blacks. We see this with the football Coaches Boone and Yoast, as well as with the players. The players are rebelling against each other by refusing to play with one another as a team, and coach Yoast is refusing to step down as head coach and allow Boone to take over. A gradual progression of embracing diversity can be seen throughout the movie. Coach Boone removes the fear of the unknown when the boys go to camp. Coaches Boone and Yoast force the team members to integrate by forcing a black player and white player to room together, and forcing them to get to know one another, and ultimately having to report what they learned about each other back to Boone himself. The members of the team get along very well after they are forced to connect, and when they come back from camp they shock everyone by showing that they have all become friends. However, this is without the rest of the school acting as an influence on the team. Once school begins the racial pull between blacks and whites is seen even more than before. There are fights between races, and it seems almost impossible for the students of different races to be friends with one another. Fights among teammates also occur because outside influences, such as other students, make the black teammates feel as if the white teammates are humiliating them on purpose. It takes a lot of work and pressure to finally unite the blacks and whites, and it all starts with the football team and their coaches setting an example.

Remember the Titans is an accurate portrayal of what black-white relationships were like in Virginia in 1971. The director supply's a great deal of insight into what the black students went through when they were forced into a white schooling system. Locker room fights, fights on the field, unequal treatment, and anger are all shown within the football team when the players go to camp. These fights and disagreements led to the players being able to better understand one another. Being together at camp led to bonding, and eventually the players were able to see past the skin color, and really understand one another's personality. This is where integration starts between the two different cultures, but once returned back to school some students have trouble maintaining the relationships built at camp with the black players. Gary is a good example of this because his girlfriend, as well as his friends, pressures him to stop hanging around with Julius who has become one of his best friends. They tell him that his priorities are mixed up and try to get him to be more single minded like them. Gary does not follow this because he knows that him and Julius have a true friendship that isn't like anything he's ever had before. The storyline and relationships seem very realistic and well portrayed because it shows the struggles, fights, and tension but it also shows the power of a team to bring people together. It's a very moving movie