Colin in Black & White (2021) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Everybody knows the first step in making
any football team is the tryout.
And to make it to the pros,
the tryout starts with the combine.
["DNA." playing]
I got loyalty
Got royalty inside my DNA ♪
Quarter piece
Got war and peace inside my DNA ♪
Potential players are paraded out
in front of scouts, coaches, and owners,
who measure their physical talent
and on-field abilities.
Coaches will tell you they're looking
for warriors, killers, beasts.
They say they want you to be an animal.
And you wanna give them that.
I got, I got, I got, I got ♪
Realness, I just kill shit
'Cause it's in my DNA ♪
I got millions
I got riches buildin' in my DNA ♪
I got dark, I got evil
That rot inside my DNA ♪
I got off, I got troublesome heart
Inside my DNA ♪
I just win again
Then win again like Wimbledon, I serve ♪
[Colin] But let me tell you.
What they don't want you to understand,
is what's established is a power dynamic.
Before they put you on the field,
teams poke, prod, and examine you.
Searching for any defect
that might affect your performance.
No boundary respected.
No dignity left intact.
[slave seller] Come on, boy. Hurry up.
Look at that shape there.
Look at this.
Mr. Farmer, got your bid.
Thirty, James. Thirty to you.
One hundred! Sold!
Next one coming up, best one we got.
- Five hundred.
- [slave buyer 1] Five hundred!
- [slaver seller] Six hundred!
- [slave seller 2] Right here.
Look at this here!
Come on! Who wants this?
- Seven hundred!
- [slave buyer 3] Seven!
- [slave seller] There we go. One thousand!
- [slave buyer 4] One thousand!
I'm telling you what I want.
- Yeah, I heard ya.
- [slave seller] Sold!
As a kid, you're not thinking
that you're being groomed for a system.
You just love playing football.
You're just trying to make the team.
[hip-hop music playing]
[Colin] Back then, all I cared about
was football, baseball,
and a little bit of hoopin' on the side.
- [boy] Nice.
- Damn!
Check the hands on Kaepernick.
I tell you what, this kid gets
better and better every year.
[school bell ringing]
[Colin] Okay.
Maybe a little part of me
wanted to be cool too.
Hey, did you see Baby Boy?
What? The movie?
Nah, fool. Like the toddler.
Yes, the movie.
- No.
- Look.
I snatched it off LimeWire.
You know it's rated R, right?
Your mom let you see it?
She's strict as shit.
She's not that strict.
- All right. Yeah, I'll burn you a copy.
- Fact.
Okay, then, Lori. I see you.
Hey, I might holla at Lori.
She all right for an eighth-grader.
- We're eighth-graders.
- But I'm mature for my age.
- Oh!
- Mm.
Well, look. Go ahead. Ask.
Ask what?
- Ask, Colin.
- Ask what, Ryan?
You wanna know about the hair, right?
Dope, ain't it?
- Yeah.
- Bro. Look at the back, bro.
My shit got hang.
Look. This high school girl hooked me up,
Dee Dee.
She can probably do something
with yours too.
Okay. All right. Catch you after practice.
- See you.
- All right.
- ["Work It" playing]
- [line ringing]
- [woman] Hello!
- [young Colin] Hi, is this Dee Dee?
[woman] No, this is her mother.
Who is this?
[young Colin] Oh, um, I'm Colin.
I'm calling about getting my hair braided.
Ryan said it was cool.
[woman] Oh. Hold on. Dee Dee!
Is it worth it? Let me work it ♪
I put my thing down
Flip it and reverse it ♪
[Colin] I was born in Wisconsin.
A place known for dairy farming
and a scarcity of Black people.
But I grew up in Turlock, California.
A place also known for dairy farming,
and you guessed it,
a scarcity of Black people.
One place that you could
see Black people in Turlock
was Dee Dee's apartment complex.
Even though it was just a few blocks
from my house, I had never been there,
but I could see myself there.
Colin?
Yeah. Dee Dee?
Mm-hm.
Okay.
A challenge.
Come on.
[young Colin grunting]
Are you okay?
[Colin] Am I okay?
I felt like my hair was playing tug-o-war
with my scalp.
And the rope they were using was on fire.
Am I okay?
Uh-huh.
Okay.
- [boy] Why don't you two get a room?
- [Dee Dee] Boy, keep quiet.
You keep clownin' around, Mom will
make you wear that nose forever.
Mama, can you get me some hair grease
out the bathroom, please?
We don't have any more.
And I told you you were gonna run out.
[Dee Dee]
But I need some to finish his hair.
[woman] You can run and get some.
Or I can pick you up some from the mall.
- [Dee Dee] What mall you going to?
- Modesto.
[Dee Dee] That'll take too long.
You know what? There is this cute top
I've been wanting to try on.
I'll come with you.
Come with me! Come on.
You too.
Come on.
["Work It" playing]
We're gonna be about 20 minutes.
Be good.
Don't get out this car.
What's your name, little dude?
You look ridiculous.
- So do you.
- What?
Nothing.
[Colin] I was in a hot car
with an angry clown,
waiting for more torture.
- I just hoped it would be worth it.
- [Dee Dee] Okay. And boom!
Well, what do you think? Say something.
Is it supposed to be this tight?
I had to do it because of your texture.
Biracial hair is so hard to work with.
It slips and slides all over the place.
But I made it work, though.
You know who you look like? Allen Iverson.
You look good. I did a good job.
[chuckles]
Sorry it took so long.
Are you good getting home?
Oh, um
Can I use your phone?
Bye.
[Colin] The next 24 hours
were like a roller coaster.
I thought I looked good.
But my head was on fire.
- My mom was salty for some reason.
- [Teresa] We didn't know where you were.
Huh?
I said we didn't know where you were,
me and your dad.
I left a note on the fridge.
I saw it.
Didn't say where you were. Colin.
[Colin] And let's just say salt and fire
are not a good mix.
Between my mom's non-reaction
one minute
I just met her today.
She's a friend of a friend.
[Colin] or subtle criticism the next
Your gym teacher
is your basketball coach, right?
Yeah.
Think he'll like your hair like that?
[Colin] and the throbbing pain I felt
all that night
I got this.
[Colin]
I still hoped it'd all be worth it.
They said he looks unprofessional.
Intimidating.
- Messy. He's clearly unfocused.
- What are we talking about?
[Colin] He's dangerous.
He's damaging to the league.
He's disrespectful.
In 1997, right after taking
the league by storm
and winning Rookie of the Year
[commentator] The crowd is into it.
Allen shakes free.
Gets two!
[Colin] A young NBA superstar
heard more criticism than kudos.
- That's the body language of a
- Thug!
[Colin] He experienced more
political policing than passionate praise.
Why?
Why did this exceptional player
with an uncanny combination
of grace and grit
cause such ire from the powers that were?
Well, what he did to start
this controversy was simple, deliberate,
and true to himself.
He embraced his culture.
He braided his hair.
You know him as AI,
the Answer, Allen Iverson.
[announcer] Number 3, Allen Iverson!
[Colin] One of the most dynamic players
to ever grace the basketball court.
He endured scorn and derision
over this simple act of self-expression.
It's easy to see how crazy that is today.
But at the time
I had no idea how he felt.
[Colin] Even though I felt like I could
fall asleep standing up,
I couldn't wait to get to school
to show off my new swag.
- That's a new outfit.
- Yep.
- Um, you want me to toast it for you?
- No thanks.
- [door closes]
- Who eats a raw Pop Tart?
Allen Iverson, maybe.
[Ryan] Yo, you went to see Dee Dee?
And you got the fresh AIs on too.
Out here looking like The Answer for real.
I'm surprised your mom let you out
without khakis.
Oh. Okay. Yeah, you got jokes now.
- But for real, though. You like it?
- Yeah.
- Good looking out, man.
- I heard you got that hair
Oh.
My bad.
Yo, mine hurt at first too, bro.
You gotta get used to it.
It's not that bad.
[boy] You suck.
Did he just airball?
Colin. Colin, the coach
wants to talk to you.
Today!
[girl] Two more!
What? Come on. What's going on, bud?
Nothing. I'm good.
I just have a little headache,
and I'm tired, but I'm good.
Run a couple of laps.
See if that wakes you up.
You want me to run? Even though I'm tired
and I have a headache?
I want you to run
so you know you can do it,
even when you are tired
and have a headache.
["I Am Not My Hair" playing]
See, I can kinda recall
A lil' ways back ♪
Small, tryin' to ball
Always been Black ♪
And my hair, I tried it all
I even went flat ♪
Had a lumpy curly top
And all that crap ♪
Now, just tryin' to be appreciated ♪
These are too tight.
Nappy-headed brothers
Never had no ladies ♪
And I hit the barber shop real quick ♪
Had 'em give me lil' twist
And it drove 'em crazy ♪
Then I couldn't get no job ♪
'Cause corporate wouldn't hire
No dreadlocks ♪
This isn't right.
Then I thought about my dogs
From the block ♪
Kinda understand
Why they chose to steal and rob ♪
Was it the hair that got me this far? ♪
All these girls
These cribs, these cars? ♪
I hate to say it but it seem so flawed ♪
'Cause success didn't come
Till I cut it all off ♪
Mm. It's seasoned already, honey.
Mm-hm.
Okay.
Mm.
Tasty.
Colin, you ever hear of a thing
called decision fatigue?
What's that?
Well, the brain is like a muscle, right?
The more you use a muscle,
the more tired it gets.
Okay.
Well, I think you're wasting
your brain energy on hairstyles.
- My brain energy?
- Yeah.
Mm.
You don't wanna get decision fatigue
because you're thinking about your hair,
or what to wear, or anything like that.
You need your brain to focus
on more important things.
I don't have decision fatigue.
Mm
From now on, we want you
to get your hair done by professionals.
No more of this going rogue business.
You don't just go to someone's house.
They probably don't even have a license.
Let me add, I think we should
just get your hair cut low.
You won't have to think about it.
I mean, one of the reasons Michael Jordan
accomplished so much is because he's bald.
Mm.
I bet you could get to SuperCuts
tonight if you hurry.
That's a terrific idea.
SuperCuts.
[Teresa] He has a million things
to worry about.
- Hair doesn't have to be one of them.
- So, it's settled.
I'll take him after dinner.
[hip-hop music playing]
You already know what it is.
They want war, so they invade Afghanistan.
They wanna spy on us,
so they give us the Patriot Act.
They wanna control
who gets to be American,
so they create Homeland Security.
- I know that's right.
- Hey, Shawn.
Hey.
Patrice.
Hey.
- What's going on with you?
- Not too much.
Um
A question.
You know that hairstyle that, uh,
Black people like? It looks like ropes?
And they hang off the back of your head.
You know?
You know? What's that singer? Um
You know, uh
Every little time
Gonna be all right ♪
Um, you like basketball, right?
Uh
Do you know, um
where I can get my son's hair
done like this?
Cornrows.
- That's what they're called.
- That's what they're called.
Can you help me out? I'm sorry.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Yeah.
I can help you with that.
Oh, but I thought you said
we were going to a barber shop?
Yeah. Come on.
["They Want Efx" playing]
[chattering]
Whoa.
Bum stiggedy, bum stiggedy bum, hon
I got the old pa-rum-pum-pum-pum ♪
But I can fe-fi-fo
Diddly-fum, here I come ♪
So Peter Piper
I'm hyper than Pinocchio's nose ♪
I'm a supercalafragilistic
Tic-Tac pro ♪
I gave my oopsy, daisy
Now you've got the crazy ♪
Crazy with the books ♪
[Colin] All right. I know I look amazed,
but you have to understand something.
I'd never been anywhere like this before.
It felt like me.
Let me share a story with you
that's not told enough.
During a hot summer in the Bronx,
back in 1973,
a young teenage immigrant from Jamaica
was discovering his love of music.
["Give It Up or Turn It a Loose"
playing over headphones]
- Don't you have homework to do?
- Huh?
- Homework, Clive.
- Hold on, Pop. The break about to drop.
[music stops]
It's cool.
The breakbeat's too short anyway.
Every party I throw,
people go crazy over the breaks.
How was school, Clive?
School is school, Pops. It's boring
since they canceled the music program.
You get enough music at home.
Right now, there's nothing more important
than your education.
- Got it?
- Yes, sir.
Here.
You play it so much,
I figure you need a backup.
Do your homework.
I'll see you later.
Right.
["Give It Up or Turn It a Loose"
playing over speaker]
Clap your hands ♪
Stomp the beat, Clyde ♪
[Colin] This young man's name
was Clive Campbell,
but he would soon become
the legendary DJ Kool Herc.
As obvious as it may seem today,
it was the first time anyone had mixed
the breakbeat of the same song.
Herc called it The Merry-Go-Round,
and everybody loved it.
In fact, they loved it so much,
it became a movement.
["I Know You Got Soul" playing]
You got it
I know you got soul ♪
Hey ♪
[Colin] From the music, came the dancing.
And the clothes.
And the hair. And the art.
But not everybody embraced the vibe.
In 2005, the NBA implemented a dress code.
Because one man was helping bring it
to the masses.
I don't have to tell you
who that one man was, do I?
[Iverson] I don't wanna be Michael Jordan.
I don't wanna be Magic.
I don't wanna be Bird or Isaiah.
I don't wanna be any of those guys.
When my career is over,
I'm gonna look in the mirror and say,
"I did it my way."
Hip-hop was conceived and raised
by rebels.
Who wouldn't wanna be a part of that?
Well, now, this can't be the right place.
Hi. Hi. Hi.
Um, is there a barber shop nearby?
'Cause this is the address
that I was given.
Shop's in the back.
[hip-hop music playing]
I didn't even tell you. I tried to get
a fade at one of them franchise spots?
- What?
- You mean a white shop?
- Come on, man. You tried to cheat on me?
- I was in a hurry, and I needed a cut.
[Erica] Wow. You know I'm the only person
for the job. Come on, now.
[Reggie] Ooh, I know.
Yeah. This looks good.
[barber] Hey, man. Who next?
Here you go.
- All right. See y'all next week.
- All right. Peace, Reggie.
[speaking indistinctly]
- [Erica] You must be Colin.
- Yeah.
- Hi.
- And your mom?
- Yeah.
- [Erica] You called me, right?
You want me to bless shorty
like the boy AI?
Oh. No, he He wants braids,
like Allen Iverson.
That's what I said.
Come on, Colin. Let's get it.
Really? Braids?
Go on.
[Erica] You can relax, Mom.
It's gonna be a minute.
Okay.
[Erica] All right, you ready?
Well?
I like it.
Oh, that's it? You like it?
- You don't love it?
- I love it.
Yeah. That's better.
You know how to take care of it?
No.
All right. Come on.
Let's go get you some products.
You all right, Mom?
I'm fine. He looks great.
Thanks.
Your first time
around this many Black people?
No. No, I'm fine It's I'm
- Fine.
- Mm-hm.
Look. My number's on here.
If he can't catch me here at the shop,
try me at the crib.
- It's a little more private.
- [Teresa] Thank you.
What can I get you?
Yeah.
They gonna need some shea butter,
a couple of those essential oils,
about three or four satin durags,
I'm thinkin' some spray bottles,
moisturizer.
That shampoo.
Let's see. Yeah, make sure
you get him some tea tree oil too,
for the scalp, rub that on the braids.
Okey-doke.
You'll get the hang of it. Don't trip.
- [register dinging]
- ["Cot Damn" playing]
It's a new day ♪
[school bell ringing]
[Colin] Look, I'm not even gonna front.
When I got my hair braided,
my swag went from zero to 100 real quick.
Your boy was feeling pristine.
[school bell ringing]
You know how you were a kid,
and you'd get a new pair of shoes
and you just know you can run faster?
Well, cornrows made me feel like
I was faster on the football field
- [school bell ringing]
- jumping higher on the basketball court
and feeling confident about my skills.
Doing the most.
Everything but paying attention
to the deterioration of my braids.
- In this moment, I felt invincible.
- [school bell ringing]
I was the man. The world was my
Boy, you need some moisturizer
or somethin', because your hair is a mess.
[Colin] I mean, yeah, over time,
I noticed some frizz, but damn!
That was brutal.
- I tried to use the recommended products.
- ["Park Bench People" playing]
But nothing brought back
that fresh feeling.
I guess it was time to get braided again.
Hi. Yeah. It's It's Colin.
I was wondering if you
If you could get me in.
I see an old man
Sittin' on a park bench ♪
Lookin' in the skies when
He can see the mouth-stench ♪
Of the range of the people
Walkin' and talkin' nonsense ♪
In the park
I see a man sittin' there ♪
With a newspaper
Under his head and hair, I think ♪
- It's 3657, right?
- Yeah. This is For sure.
[doorbell rings]
How long do you think this is gonna last?
What, the braids?
All of it.
Hey. Y'all made it.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Hi. Come on in.
We just got done eatin'. Y'all hungry?
- Yeah.
- No, thanks.
Um, I'll have some.
- Please.
- Okay.
[Teresa]
He's at the age where he eats all day.
- Can I have this?
- [Erica] Yeah.
- [young Colin] Thank you.
- [Erica] All right.
You can sit on the floor.
Eat while I do your hair.
Mm-hm.
You're gonna want salt and pepper though.
He puts it on everything.
No, no. This doesn't need it.
This is good.
["Area Codes" playing on TV]
- 3-1-2, 3-1-3, 2-1-5, 8-0-3 ♪
Read your horoscope
And eat some hors d'oeuvres ♪
Ten on pump one
These hoes is self serve ♪
7-5-7, 4-1-0
My cell phone just overloads ♪
I've got hoes ♪
I've got hoes ♪
In different area codes ♪
I'm gonna run a few errands,
so I'll be back in a couple hours.
All right.
I've got hoes ♪
9-1-6, 4-1-5, 7-0-4 ♪
[Colin] I was back, feeling fresh,
focused, and strong.
- [boy 1] Nice job.
- [boy 2] There you go.
What's up with Kaepernick?
That's a nice arm on him, huh?
I'm talking about the hair. Jesus.
Glove down, would ya?
What about it?
What?
Are you looking at what I'm looking at?
Something climbing out the back
of his hat. That is not acceptable.
[Colin] But what I didn't realize is
what one person embraces,
another person despises.
Whew!
Mom said your baseball coach called today.
About what?
They want you to cut your hair.
[snickers]
What?
You have to cut your hair
if you're gonna stay on the team.
Oh. You're You're joking, right?
This is about your "brain energy" thing
or whatever?
It's a team rule, Colin.
- What team rule?
- Well, it makes sense.
Truth be told, you do look unprofessional.
Unprofessional?
Why am I supposed to look professional?
I'm 14. I'm a kid.
Okay. Rules are rules.
What rule?
I play on that team every year,
- and I've never heard of this.
- [Teresa] Well
if you wanna play this year,
you'll do what your coaches say.
You guys won't talk to them?
You think they should change
the rules for you?
No, but it's a stupid rule,
whatever it is.
- You're cutting your hair, Colin.
- I don't want to.
- Too bad.
- Why?
We told you. It's a team rule.
- But why?
- Because you look like a thug.
What?
[Colin] What is a thug?
The earliest use of the word "thug"
described a religious group
called Thuggee,
who worshiped the god Kali.
If you've seen
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,
you've seen the Western
world's depiction of the Thuggee.
[screaming]
But I'm sure that's not what's meant
when someone's called a thug today.
So let's take a look at a more
contemporary definition.
A quick Google search will tell you
that a thug is described
as a violent person,
especially a criminal.
A ruffian, hoodlum, bully.
Examples of this would be a Nazi
or a skinhead. Even some politicians.
Very fine people on both sides.
When you see these thugs
I said, "Please don't be too nice."
No one's looking online
for the definition of a thug.
The medium that informs us
more than any other is television.
So let's take a look
at how TV defines the word.
I wanna get your response to some violence
outside events of yours
that's committed by people opposed to you.
- By thugs. By thugs.
- What is your message?
- No justice!
- [all] No peace!
- No racist!
- [all] Police!
[Trump] And that wasn't Remember this.
That wasn't friendly protesters.
They were thugs. They were thugs.
So I guess that's what it is.
Some people get called thugs just
for standing up for their human rights.
While others get called more polite terms.
[reporter 1]
I've seen officers with their guns drawn
in a confrontation with these people
who have entered the capital.
[reporter 2] This is a huge victory
for these protesters.
I know your pain.
[all] Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
- I know you're hurt.
- [all] Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!
[Trump] We love you. You're very special.
But they think I'm a thug?
Not because I'm a violent criminal.
Because they said so.
[Rick]
You have to play by the rules, Colin.
Your mother and I would not tell you
to do something if it wasn't okay.
Right?
If it wasn't for your own good.
Okay.
[Colin] After that,
I didn't get braids again
for another 14 years.
I never felt good about it.
I knew it wasn't right.
But I didn't have the knowledge,
wisdom, or language to fight back.
I couldn't rebel
because I didn't know how.
But now?
Now I know how.
And I will.
[upbeat music playing]