♪ ♪
Now that we have wrapped up our units on the Bill of Rights,
we can get to something I know you've all been waiting for.
(imitating announcer): Can I get a drumroll please?
‐(drumming) ‐And now,
are you ready to find out who I assigned you all
for the Iconic American Heroes presentation?
(cheering)
Yes!
Alright, let's turn over those cards!
I think you're gonna love the iconic figures I picked for you.
(bell ringing)
Hey, Syd. Who'd you get?
‐I got John Lewis. ‐That's so cool.
He's one of the great civil rights leaders of our time.
I know. He was incredible,
but I've been hinting to Ms. A
how much I wanted Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
since my Grandma Maya is a judge.
Looks like I got Sonia Sotomayor.
Well, Ms. A must've assigned us these people for a reason.
‐Who'd you get, Olive? ‐None other than Susan B. Anthony.
Oh, she's great. I mean,
without Susan B. Anthony, women wouldn't be able to vote.
I'm gonna do a deep dive on her.
My goal is to blow the lid off what the B stands for.
My guess is Bertha. No! Barbie. No!
Boomerang!
Wait, that's not a name.
(theme music playing)
♪ Like father, like daughter, we don't always agree ♪
♪ But looking at you is like looking at me ♪
♪ The more things change, the more they stay the same ♪
♪ Like father, like daughter, from different times ♪
♪ Taking all the best from your decade and mine ♪
♪ The more things change ♪
♪ The more they stay the same ♪
♪ Do do, do do do do, do do ♪
♪ The more they stay the same ♪
♪ ♪
What's the matter?
Big problem at the bike shop. Big.
Oh no! What happened?
There's a pigeon in the bathroom.
Did you try knocking?
Come on, Mom. You know my fear of birds.
Their claws, their beaks,
the weird way they nod their heads at everything you say.
Okay, hand me the keys. Mommy will take care of this.
No. That is exactly why I am not letting you take care of this.
You'd never let me live this down.
Do you really think I would mock you for something
you have a genuine fear of?
Yes!
Oh, you know me too well.
Did you guys know Susan B. Anthony was arrested
and refused to pay the fine?
Looks like the "B" stood for boss!
How's your project going, Syd?
‐Huh? ‐You okay? You've been a little distracted.
Sorry.
I've just been feeling weird about
who we got assigned for these projects.
But, it's probably nothing.
If it's bothering you, I'm sure it's something.
Okay. It's just...
I've been thinking. John Lewis is Black,
and I'm half Black.
Sonia Sotomayor is Latina,
and Emmy's half Latina.
And Susan B. Anthony's White like you, Olive.
It just seems odd.
But, maybe I'm overthinking it.
Yeah. I'm sure it's probably nothing.
‐Right, Emmy? ‐Oh no, it's definitely something.
I felt uncomfortable the second I got assigned Sonia Sotomayor.
‐Wait, you felt it, too? ‐Yeah.
In fact, I told my older sister about it,
and she said that what Ms. A did is called a microaggression.
What's that?
She said it's when someone says
or does something that's hurtful
because of your race or ethnicity,
but not in a way that's obvious.
Like what?
Well, sometimes people will ask my sister where she's from.
When she says Portland, they'll say,
"But where are you really from?"
Like someone who looks like us couldn't possibly be born here.
Emmy, that's terrible.
But Ms. A is so cool.
You really think she would do something like that?
That's the thing about microaggressions.
My sister says sometimes people don't mean to do it.
It might seem like a joke or an innocent comment,
but something about it makes you feel sad
in a way other stuff doesn't.
Wow, I can't believe it.
I know. My sister never says smart stuff.
I still can't believe Ms. A would give assignments
based on the color of our skin.
Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Yeah. We don't know who everyone else got assigned.
There's only one way to find out.
Hide in their lockers so we can overhear their conversations?
Or we could just talk to them.
You know what? That's just crazy enough to work.
♪ ♪
Hey, coz. I can't believe a reporter
is coming to do a story on the computer club.
Oh, is that today?
Oh, like you're not excited?
It wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for you,
our founder and president.
You're gonna be a star.
I wouldn't say star,
but if someone wants me to cut a ribbon at a new bowling alley,
who am I to turn it down?
Hello, computer club!
I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Ames,
the reporter from The Portland Gazette.
He's a busy man,
so don't waste time showering me with praise.
A light drizzle will do.
Hey, kids. Excited to be here.
So, why don't you tell me about your club?
Leo Webb.
Welcome to the first school computer club
in all of Portland.
Maybe even the world.
Hey, you know how we can find out?
A computer.
Listen, we might have to move this along.
I just got a tip that a big news story could break any minute.
I can't say much, but here's a hint.
‐Escaped cheetah. ‐(gasp)
Please, you're scaring the children.
All good, Mr. Ames.
I'm proud of this club and what we've done.
So, how'd this all get started?
Well, we took an old storage room
and turned it into this computer lab.
We also put together a car wash to buy these computers.
Wow. That is quite impressive.
This club has changed my life.
I'm an artist, and now I can do a new type
of digital art called graphic design.
And I use the internet to research my science projects.
And I didn't have anything else to do after school.
(beeper beeping)
(gasps) This is it! The big story!
Sorry, I gotta cut this short.
Apparently, the cheetah broke back into the zoo,
and now everybody's trying to figure out how.
But I wanna know why.
But don't you want a quote from our club president for the paper?
Oh, don't worry. I got everything I need.
You're gonna love this story.
Oh, and Mr. Virmani, please send me pictures of the kids
for the article.
This is gonna be great.
‐I'm so excited! ‐Can't wait.
I wanna know more about the cheetah.
Okay, there's still a chance that it's just a coincidence
that Ms. A assigned us historical figures based on our race,
so let's just find other kids from class
and ask who they got assigned.
I'll start with the cute boys.
How about you just find people from class?
Find, I'll go talk to Roxanne.
Oh hey, Ned! Can I ask you a weird question?
Is it about my pants?
I knew they weren't working.
Do you think they're working?
Maybe I should've gone with shorts.
Do you think I could pull off shorts?
The pants are fine.
It's about the Social Studies project.
I was wondering who you were assigned.
Oh. I got Barack Obama.
Huh. And how do you feel about it?
Great. I mean, it'll be an easy project.
I've already been assigned him twice.
That's a weird coincidence.
Unless you think it has anything to do with‐‐
The fact that Barack Obama and I are both Black?
Yeah, that definitely has a lot to do with it.
Really? And you're sure?
You're not gonna, like, do the Ned thing
and overthink what you just said?
No.
Wait, I overthink stuff?
(scoffs) No, I don't.
Or do I?
Ned, doesn't it bother you
that you keep being assigned Barack Obama?
I'd never really thought about it.
It's kinda just how things are.
Guess who Roxanne and Callie got assigned?
Amy Tan, the Asian American author
who wrote The Joy Luck Club.
I got Jim Thorpe, the first Native American Olympian.
And it kinda feels like I only got him 'cause I'm Native American.
‐(bell ringing) ‐We gotta go.
Thanks, girls.
I'm so disappointed.
I can't believe Ms. A did this.
‐We've gotta do something. ‐Like what?
I have no idea.
♪ ♪
I hope getting everyone from class together was a good idea.
It's a great idea.
Dumb bird. Today's the day.
‐Pack your tiny bags. ‐Dad!
What's going on?
You haven't heard?
There's a pigeon in the bathroom.
But I think he finally met his match.
‐(cooing) ‐Yeah, I'm talking about you, bird!
Mom, what are you doing here?
I told you I don't need your help.
I'm not here to help. I'm here to support.
And laugh. Really, really hard.
Classmates: Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hi.
Thanks for coming everybody.
This morning, when I heard what you all said,
I didn't know what to do about it.
But then I realized knowing
I wasn't alone made me feel better.
Me, too.
Before I got Sydney's text, I didn't even know
what to call this kind of stuff.
And now I know it's a microaggression.
Yeah. All I knew is that it made me feel like I didn't belong.
And I usually let them go.
Like this one time, I said
I wanted to be an astronaut,
and my science teacher joked that I wouldn't like it
because there aren't any basketballs in space.
I mean, I don't even play basketball.
He just assumed you did 'cause you're Black?
Yep. And...
I didn't know what to do, so I just laughed.
I get that.
People always think that just because I'm Asian American
I wanna be a doctor,
but I wanna direct romantic comedies
and have my own food truck.
That is so you.
I know, right?
I wanna be the queen of rom‐coms and nom‐noms.
By the way, "Rom‐Coms and Nom‐Noms,"
perfect food truck name.
I know how you both feel.
Kids actually ask me if my family sleeps in a tipi
because I'm Native American.
That's like every year when people wish me
a happy Cinco de Mayo.
I'm not even Mexican. I'm Cuban and Filipino.
I can't believe people don't realize how hurtful this is.
You know,
once, a neighbor asked me if I'm adopted
because my dad's White, and I'm not.
Made me feel like there was something wrong with me.
I never knew other people felt this way.
It's nice to know I'm not alone.
You know what else we all have in common?
We've never said anything.
Ms. A needs to know how we feel.
We've gotta do something.
Great idea.
When are you gonna do it, Syd?
Wait, what?
Yeah! Ms. A loves you.
Exactly! You're perfect for it!
Thanks, Syd!
Uh... you're welcome?
Hey, Max! You got a copy of The Portland Gazette?
The big story on the computer club came out today.
What happened to yours?
I went to grab it off my porch,
but the neighbor's dog got it first.
I didn't realize the story came out today.
Here, take mine. And when you're done,
you can finish the crossword puzzle for me.
Actually, you can start it, too.
Leo, what's wrong? Is the article not in there?
Oh, it's in here.
It's a picture of Max.
And the caption reads,
"Max Reynolds,
President of the Clara Barton Computer Club."
Max Reynolds,
President of the Computer Club?
My Max Reynolds? This guy?
Yeah, me?
Why would that reporter think I was president?
I think I know. You're the only White kid in the club.
Mr. Ames assumed I couldn't be president
because I'm African American.
Oh, Leo, that's terrible.
But why am I not surprised? It makes me so mad.
It's okay, Ms. Reynolds.
Sadly, stuff like this happens to me all the time.
‐It does? ‐Yeah.
Sometimes, people assume your parents own the arcade and not mine.
And some people act surprised that I speak "so well."
Why didn't you ever tell me?
It happened so often that I kinda just learned to live with it.
That's awful.
Leo, I'm so sorry.
Is there anything that we can do to help?
Thanks, Ms. Reynolds,
but I think I need to talk to Mr. Virmani about this.
And I'll go, too! Virmani loves me!
Good point. I'll stay here.
♪ ♪
‐Hey, Syd. ‐Hey, Dad.
Did the pigeon do that to you?
No. I whacked myself in the face
with a lacrosse stick trying to catch it.
But I think the pigeon got the message.
Hey, I haven't had a chance to ask you.
What were the kids doing in the cafe?
We kinda had a meeting.
We discovered that Ms. A assigned our reports on American heroes
based on our ethnicity.
Seriously? But you always said Ms. Anderson was so cool.
I know.
That's what makes it so confusing.
So sorry you're going through this.
You know what? Someone should talk to this teacher.
My classmates agree,
and they think I'm the one who should do it.
But, I don't think I can.
It's scary to talk to a teacher about something like this.
You shouldn't have to.
In fact, I am gonna go down there
and tell that teacher what's up.
‐Thanks, Dad. ‐You're welcome.
You just helped me realize
this is something I need to do myself.
You sure?
Yeah, Dad. I got this.
Well, if doing nothing helps you accomplish something,
then I am happy not to do it.
♪ ♪
Mr. Virmani, I'm so glad you're here.
Did you see the article in the paper?
I sure did. That's why I'm here.
What an injustice.
Did your parents say anything about it?
Are you kidding? If my mom found out,
after she got done with the reporter,
she'd end up on the front page.
I'm sorry about this, Leo.
Me, too.
I wish there was something I could do.
Well, we can. If you'd like, I can reach out to the reporter
and have him come down here.
Thanks, Mr. Virmani, but he's a grown man.
He's not gonna wanna listen to some kid
telling him how to do his job.
Why? Kids tell me how to do my job all the time!
Leo, I understand your frustration.
You know, as a man of Indian descent,
I have also seen my fair share of discrimination.
‐You have? ‐Yes.
I was passed up for vice principal
many times in favor of White people,
even though I had more experience.
How did you fix it?
I finally had to speak up for myself.
I proved I was the best man for the job.
It never would've happened unless I'd fought for it.
You know what? That's what I need to do.
I need to stand up for myself and talk to Mr. Ames.
Good! I'll call him.
You should get full credit for all the marvelous work
you're doing here.
‐Ooh! What does this button do? ‐(click, beeping)
It just erased four days of coding.
Oopsie daisy!
♪ ♪
Oh! Hey, Syd!
You're just in time. I just opened some hummus.
Grab a carrot.
I'm kind of not hungry.
I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.
Of course.
Well, it's about the hero assignments.
Some of us were wondering
why we got assigned who we got assigned.
I put a lot of thought into it,
and I chose people who I thought would be
the kind of inspiring role models
you'd love to learn more about.
Oh. I see.
What I guess I'm asking is...
‐um‐‐ ‐Syd,
is everything okay?
This is so hard.
But...
me and the other kids were kind of wondering if,
well, you made those assignments
based on our race.
Oh. (scoffs)
Well,
I just wanted to choose people
who you could see yourselves in.
Role models who looked like you.
I guess that makes sense.
Syd, I don't want you to think
I have anything but the best intentions.
I march. I protest.
I have always fought for underrepresented voices.
Of course you have.
I always said you were cool. Thanks, Ms. A.
I'm just so glad we cleared this up.
Yeah.
Cleared it up.
♪ ♪
Hey, Syd. You'd be proud of me.
Finally got rid of that pigeon.
How'd you do it?
I accidentally left the door open and the bird walked out.
Well, you showed him who's boss.
So, how'd your conversation go with Ms. Anderson?
Good.
Fine.
Okay, I guess.
Honestly, I don't know.
Okay. I'm confused.
That makes two of us.
Ms. A gave me an explanation, so...
why don't I feel any better?
Well, what did she say?
She said she picked heroes that looked like us.
And then she talked about how she protests.
It all kinda made sense at the time.
Sounds like she was more concerned
with justifying her actions
than caring about how you felt.
Yeah.
And I never got to tell her why I was so hurt by what she did.
I feel like I let down my friends.
Syd, you did your best.
Just because you didn't get through to her on your first try
doesn't mean you can't get there.
That actually reminds me of John Lewis.
At the first march on Selma, he got beaten up.
And they didn't even get to finish their march.
Yeah. But, he didn't give up.
And he wasn't alone. He had a whole movement behind him.
Sometimes it takes more than one voice to make change happen.
You're right.
Maybe me and my friends need to get together and do something.
You know what John Lewis said?
"Never ever be afraid to make some noise
"and get into good trouble.
Necessary trouble."
Go make good trouble, Syd.
♪ ♪
Leo, don't worry.
You're gonna do great with that reporter.
Yeah! You're right.
I'm feeling good! I'm feeling strong.
Just one little thing. I never should've done this.
Of course you should. You got this.
I'll be right here with you.
Leo, Mr. Ames is here.
Hey, Leo. Good to see you.
I heard you wanted to talk to me?
I did? I do?
You know what? I do.
Mr. Ames, I read the article you wrote,
and you said Max was the president of computer club.
Hm. I thought he was.
No. I'm the president.
Oh. You're the president?
Yes. I am.
Well, that was just an innocent mistake.
I was chasing down another story, and I got careless.
It was more than a mistake, Mr. Ames.
You assumed that Max was president
because he was the only White kid here.
Come on, don't you think you're overreacting?
No, I don't.
You came into a computer club that I started
and thought that I couldn't possibly be president
because of the color of my skin.
You took that huge accomplishment away from me.
And I can't even begin to tell you how much that hurts.
You're right.
That is what I did.
I made a terrible assumption, and I was wrong to make it.
I'm really sorry.
Thank you.
And I would like for you to put in your paper
that Leo Webb is the president of computer club.
We'll print a correction.
Sorry again, Leo.
Yes. You nailed it.
I'm proud of you, Leo.
♪ ♪
Okay, class! I am so pumped
for your Iconic American Heroes presentations.
So,
who's gonna be brave enough to go first?
Sydney! Alright.
Tell us how John Lewis inspired you.
Thanks, Ms. A. You're right.
John Lewis did inspire me.
He inspired me not to do my project on him.
Instead, I did my report on Supreme Court Justice...
Sonia Sotomayor.
What?
Isn't Emmy doing Sonia Sotomayor?
Actually, I did my report on Barack Obama,
someone who I admire.
Class, what is going on here?
We decided that we wanted to choose heroes
that we connected with for a lot of reasons,
not just because of our race.
‐So, none of you did your assigned projects? ‐Olive: Nope.
I did John Lewis,
and you know what I learned? And I quote,
"When you see something that is not right,
"not fair, not just,
"you have to speak up.
"You have to say something.
You have to do something."
And Susan B. Anthony said,
"Forget what the world thinks of you stepping out of place."
And Barack Obama said,
"Your voice can change the world."
See, Ms. A?
It's not that we weren't inspired by the people you assigned.
It's that we didn't wanna be seen only by our race.
'Cause we are so much more than that.
Yeah.
What if I become a historian?
Just because I'm Black, does that mean I can only write about
the history of Black people?
And when I'm directing movies,
can I only direct movies about Asian Americans?
You know?
What I love about teaching
is that I never stop learning from my students.
And you all
have taught me a lot today.
I had no idea how limited I must've made you feel.
What I did was dismissive and totally unfair.
And I apologize for that.
Thanks for hearing us, Ms. A.
It means a lot.
I feel so much better.
Then that makes me feel better.
Can I get a "woo!?"
All: Woo!
I can't hear you!
All: Woo!
♪ ♪
Mom, hurry up! I wanna see the new article on Leo!
Looks like that dog is working the neighborhood.
Haha! Extra, extra! Read all about it!
Leo Webb is president of Clara Barton Computer Club.
Oh, Leo, what a handsome picture.
I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't wanna say it.
This is awesome, Leo! You did it.
Thanks, Max. And Mr. Virmani was right.
The only way to change things
is to stand up for what you believe in.
And it feels pretty good.
I just wish I had a copy of it. I'd love to frame it.
Oh, here! You can keep this one.
My mom bought 100 of them.
She's gonna use them to wallpaper the kitchen.
What better way to start your day
than with pancakes and a side of Leo?
♪ ♪
♪ Do do, do do do do, do do ♪
Man: Oh yeah.