but before we reach for hate, always, always, we remember the Titans

[Shannon Hines]

There are few movies I like better than ones about historical events or sports. What could be better than combining the two? When using something like sports to play out a historical event you give people the common bond to the story that they might not have had otherwise. Disney’s Remember the Titans is one of my favorite examples of this. Through the context of football you are introduced to segregation and race relations in Virginia in the early 1970’s. It puts these topics in to a context that many people can relate to in the dynamic of a team. It allows someone who never lived through the tension that was felt in this era see what it took for these young men to overcome years of what was considered right to them. The movie uses the common context of sports to convey this powerful message.

I think this is an excellent movie to use to introduce the racial tensions that were felt in the 1970’s. The directors do a good job in making the issues of integration and race relations as important as the football. When you watch the movie you are introduced to the issues that many towns experienced in this time period on an off the football field. As you watch the movie you will see how a group of boys taught a town to understand each other and to look past the color of a person when learning to trust them. This is a useful tool to show students a time period that has had a great impact on US History and still affect many lives today.

The clip that I chose is set with the Titans in training camp. Coach Boone is still trying to get the players on his team to look past their races and learn to trust and respect each other. In an attempt to impress upon his team the significance of learning to trust and respect each other Coach Boone takes his players to the battlefield at Gettysburg. The film makers use some movie magic to create the ghostly feel that you will see in this scene. It is almost like the ghosts at Gettysburg are making an appearance to show the players that they are still fighting the same fight. This is one more the most powerful moments in the movie and the point where the team starts to turn around and trust each other. If you have seen the movie you know that this is just the beginning of the trials the team will face but you cannot deny the power in the message here. If you have never seen the movie I highly suggest it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2B3yhh4mvI

[Kyle Moore]

I like your choice here, in showing segregation/discrimination through the use of this movie. Not only is it entertaining, but there are a number of overt and subtle signs of discrimination, something which many students will slowly lose sight of over the years, as these decades fade further into the past.

[Lindsey Dowling]

This movie is a really great representation of the racial tensions that the youth of America was dealing with in the 1970's. There is a part when the boys are refused service at a diner because some of them are African American. There is a part when one of the African American students gets into a fight because he was talking to a white girl. The movie is littered with these references to social issues at the time. I think this a good tool, especially for high school students because they can compare their actual experiences to experiences of people their age almost 40 years ago.