Black History Month 2013 Day 5

Remember the Titans:



Cultural Significance:

Remember the Titans sprung from the true story about the 1971 T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, VA. Coach Herman Boone was given the job of head coach over a more popular coach from Alexandria, Coach Bill Yoast. The movie loosely follows their rise to State Champions. It is a powerful story that has affected audiences worldwide. It had a worldwide gross of $136.7 million and has a 73% critics approval rating on Rottentomatoes.com and a 91% audience rating.

Most people will call this a fun, inspirational and exciting football film that makes anyone smile when they watch it. Although the film follows the real story loosely and changes details to make the story flow you can still get a feel for the times this community was living in and the struggles that children can go through even when it is something that they may not fully understand. I think it deals with the struggle that children face when influenced by their parents thinking in a way that is organic and natural. It also shows that at our core we are all human beings that have the same emotions as anyone else and I believe this story will transcend the test of time to inspire generations to come.



Personal Significance:

This movie. Well, let me start off by saying that I have probably watched this movie about a hundred times. I’m a sucker for sports films, based on a true story films, and race-relations films. This was a movie that had them all rolled into one. I was in heaven. Plus, it has a killer soundtrack that I have nearly memorized. Plus, it stars Denzel Washington and (Des Moines, IA native) Greg Alan Williams. It can’t get much better than that.

One of the other reasons I love this movie so much is that it really shows how love and friendship is just that: love and friendship. It is simple and it doesn’t need to have all these restrictions surrounding it. Coach Boone was able to take these kids and show them that they were all just people working towards the same goal. He was also able to help them realize that they could be real friends that watch out for each other and love each other.

I have friends from all over the world and I know these lessons to be true. You are my friend because you are nice and I like you. It’s as simple as that.

When I was a student at William Jewell College (WJC) I had the opportunity to meet the real Coach Boone when he gave a lecture at WJC. It was really inspiring to hear from a person who really changed people’s lives with such simple lessons. He is definitely an example I’d like to follow.