College Senior, Member of the Omega Fraternity, Radio DJ and Staff

SCENE E

ADAM White; college senior, member of the Omega fraternity, radio DJ and staff member of the college radio station, and a prominent member of the college’s basketball team; in a relationship with Cindi.

CINDI White; a college senior, theatre major and staff member of the college radio station; in a relationship with Adam.

CLAY African-American; radio DJ and staff member of the college radio station, Clay is regarded as a leader of the African-American community on campus.

JAYLA African-American Muslim; radio DJ and staff member of the college radio station, friend and confidante of Clay.

SPINNER White; member of the Omega fraternity. In an on-again, off-again relationship with Krystal.

(ADAM nods distractedly to CLAY but his focus is on on CINDI. CLAY, JAYLA and CINDI start out in the direction from which they came. ADAM steps forward.)

ADAM Clay, Jayla, I’m really sorry about today. At the radio station, I was angry and arrogant and... self-important and…I mean, it doesn’t reflect who I…I know it seemed racist, kinda, and maybe it…but aren’t we all, really, a little bit, and it’s not always—

CLAY Apology /accept—

ADAM /OK, like this summer, I don’t know if this’ll make sense to you guys but…this summer I was hanging out with some high school, um…you know, basketball buddies. We went out to Pizza Hut one night and there’s this family sitting at the next table, mom, dad, little girl, and I was, like, where do I know these people from? That ever happen to you? (Short beat, they don’t answer.) Anyway, I kinda thought that the man, I thought he might’ve worked with my dad and I’m thinking, shit, this man’s gonna know me, if I don’t know him he’s gonna say something to my dad and my dad’s gonna be pissed off and see, the thing is, the man and his family…African- American. (Short beat.) Black. 2

CLAY I know what African-American means.

ADAM Right. So, what I did, I turned to Pablo—Paul, we call him Pablo—and I ask Pablo, “Who are those people?” Pablo’s black, too. He was the only black guy at the table and I turned to him and I asked him, “Who’s that black man?”

CLAY Because you figured—

ADAM Yeah, I figured because Pablo was black that he would know this other…I, mean how dumb is that? Thing is, Pablo had no idea who this man was. Another guy, Mike, white as me, he knew him, turned out the man didn’t work with my dad after all and so…anyway, Pablo, he called me out. “What, ‘cause I’m black I’m supposed to know every other black person on the planet” and we laughed about it. (The door to the house creaks open slightly, revealing SPINNER) See what I’m saying? I was being rac…not in a malicious way, though, see…I just made a stupid assumption about…look, I’m just saying I’m capable of…racism, of…whatever you want to call it but—

CLAY How ‘bout we call it racism?

ADAM OK. But the thing is, I recognized it and I /acknowledged—

CLAY /You didn’t recognize it. You said Pablo called you out. So you didn’t recognize /that you—

ADAM /OK, OK, yeah, I see your point but…I acknowledged…Cin, do you see what I’m trying to—

CINDI Adam—

ADAM It’s just that when Griffin threw me off the air today, I kinda went a /little craz—

JAYLA /You forced her into it.

CLAY Jayla’s right. You kept pushing until—

ADAM But I—

JAYLA If you had just stopped talking long enough to hear what Dr. Griffin was /trying to say—

ADAM CINDI /She wouldn’t— /Adam, just listen for a second—

JAYLA She wasn’t gonna throw you off the air but you kept pushing and pushing until she had no choice. “Fine, you want an answer so badly. You’re off the air.” Remember? If /you had just—

ADAM /But she wouldn’t /listen to—

JAYLA /She was /trying to—

ADAM /No, she wasn’t. /She—

CLAY /That’s enough. We have to go, Adam, so—

ADAM No, please don’t— (The three start out again but ADAM runs around to block them off. SPINNER comes through the door on to the porch.) Just wait a minute! Jesus, I’m trying to—

CINDI Adam, enough. This is what got you into trouble this aftern—

ADAM No! What got me into trouble this afternoon was…was Griffin reading that…that fucking letter from /the president—

CLAY /I wish he’d never written that damn— ADAM Bullshit!

CINDI ADAM Adam, stop— You were lovin’ it, man, don’t gimme that!

CLAY (Heading for the exit) Let’s just get out of here /and—

ADAM (following CLAY) /What, too much to ask for you to try and understand my feelings /for once—

CLAY /I understand your feelings! You are feeling…disenfranchised because you angered a man who is more powerful than you and he used his authority to put you in your place. Gee, I wonder how that feels! (Short beat, CLAY steps in to ADAM) I understand your feelings, Adam, believe me. I might even have sympathy for you if you hadn’t decided to take your anger out on me and on Jayla and on Jimmy, who has done nothing but look up to you and try to be your friend. And then you suggest that I have some kind of advantage over you because I’m black and you’re white. That somehow my freedom of speech is…is freer than yours which, if it wasn’t so stupid would be the most insulting thing /I’ve ever—

SPINNER /Jesus Christ! It’s not like he called you a nigger! (SPINNER steps off the porch, crosses towards CLAY. ADAM tries to intervene. CINDI reaches for CLAY, tries to pull him away.)

CINDI ADAM Guys, let’s go, OK? /Let’s just— Spinner, you’re not /help—

SPINNER /I mean, what the fuck do you people /want?

CLAY /Nothing! We want nothing from you. (starting out with JAYLA and CINDI) Come /on, let’s—

SPINNER /You come over to our house, you/ try to—

CLAY /This isn’t your house. This is college property and I have as much /right—

SPINNER /Omega house! See the letters out front? Omega /Epsilon—

CLAY /Yes, I see the letters! A clear indication that I am not welcome /here— 5

SPINNER /You’re putting words in my /mouth. I never said you—

CLAY /That no one who looks like me or /Jayla is ever welc—

SPINNER /No, no, no, there is no racism/ here at the Omega—

(JAYLA spits out an angry laugh.)

CLAY /Give me a /break!

SPINNER /We got a Mexican kid— (CLAY’s ironic laughter joins JAYLA’s) And what about that Jimmy /fucker. He’s always—

ADAM /That’s true, Clay, Jimmy comes here all the—

JAYLA And he does not feel welcome /here.

SPINNER ADAM /How the fuck do you know, you— /That’s not true, Jayla, he—

JAYLA It is true! He told me himself /that he—

(CINDI bursts forward and confronts SPINNER angrily.)

CINDI /Why would Jimmy ever feel welcome around you, Spinner? Good god, you stand there with a straight face and say there’s no racism /here, how can you—

SPINNER /What /did I ever do to— CINDI Buckwheat! That’s what you call Jimmy! Buckwheat and…and Chocolate Drop /and every other—

SPINNER /I’m just joking/ around— 6

CINDI It’s not funny!!! And you do the same thing to Carlo, the only half decent guy /in the whole—

SPINNER /Hey, Speedy is my/ Omega broth—

CINDI His name is Carlo! Not Speedy Gonzales, not amigo. It’s disgusting, you are disgusting, this whole place, this…Omega shithole that you call a fraternity!