Fight the Good Fight is the twentieth episode of the second season of Family Matters, which aired on ABC on February 22, 1991. It was directed by Gary Menteer and written both by Sara V. Finney and Vida Spears.
Synopsis[]
It's Black History Month and Laura is inspired to encourage support for a black history class at school and as Laura goes about doing this, she encounters racism at the school -- a racial slur has even been spray painted on Laura's locker. In order to keep the peace, Principal Edgar Shimata is reluctant to even consider a black history class, until Laura, inspired by Mother Winslow, forms a plan to change some minds at the school.
Plot[]
In the Winslow household, Carl is convinced that he is the perfect person to fix their broken vacuum cleaner. As he (and Richie) seem to fix it, it backfires and explodes on him. Harriette continues to point out that Carl is just wasting time. She pushes him to buy a new one. Carl refuses because of costs and insists that he can save money by repairing it himself. This decision to refuse to listen to Harriette will make him regret it later.
Laura, meanwhile, is psyched about it being Black History Month and decides that she wants to try and get a Black History class course started at her school all year. The teachers come to see it as a good idea and encourage her to carry on with her petition and with Steve's help, the signatures for the petitions pile up. Just as the petition signings are at their peak, Laura soon faces a hurtful moment when she finds her locker open, with a note attached to the door.
"If you want Black History, go back to Africa," the note reads. Steve crumples the hurtful note and angrily tosses it to the floor but that's not all there is on Laura's locker; as she closes the door, she discovers a racial slur spray painted on it, leaving her, Steve and fellow black students standing nearby hurt and worried.
Things get worse as black and white students start taking sides, picking fights and calling each other racial slurs. When Laura returns home in tears and hurt seemingly beyond repair, she starts to regret having ever started the petition to get the Black History class approved, despite the family's assurance that it was indeed an excellent idea. She remains in her room crying over and over again as the night goes on and Carl, knowing that he can't fix things this time, is angry over his daughter's pain and is convinced that the schools today are just as racially cruel as when he and Harriette were children.
Laura has asked her mother how people can be so cruel but her mother has no for-sure answer. Thankfully, Mother Winslow encourages Laura to continue fighting for what's right after relating a story of her own of racism with the white librarian in her town; after coming back to the library one last time, the librarian (who previously kicked her out multiple times) gave up and gave her a library card. Ever since she took the stand, the library had allowed children of all races to borrow books from the library.
The tensions among the school, seem to soon die down after it is discovered that there were many black inventors over the last decades and the students, black and white, begin to bond over the topic. Laura thanks Steve for his help with the petitions. Surely enough, Principal Shimata asks her to come to a potential PTA meeting to discuss a potential slot for a Black History class.
As for regards to the vacuum cleaner, when Carl fails to successfully fix it for the third time, he finally gives in and agrees to purchase a new one. Laura comes home elated over everything and the staff was very moved by her convictions to have a Black History Class taught as part of the curriculum all year.
Cast and Characters[]
Main[]
- Reginald VelJohnson as Carl Winslow
- Jo Marie Payton as Harriette Winslow (credited as Jo Marie Payton-France)
- Rosetta LeNoire as Estelle Winslow
- Darius McCrary as Eddie Winslow
- Kellie Shanygne Williams as Laura Winslow
- Jaimee Foxworth as Judy Winslow
- Bryton James as Richie Crawford (credited as Bryton McClure)
- Jaleel White as Steve Urkel
- Telma Hopkins as Rachel Crawford
Guest[]
Recurring[]
- Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson
- Clyde Kusatsu as Principal Edgar Shimata
- Susan Krebs as Ms. Steuben
Cameo[]
- Patrick J. Pieters as Gary (credit as Patrick Pieters)
- Jay Bradford as Mark
- David Markus as Darryl
Trivia[]
- In the Nick at Nite airings, the episode cuts to a commercial break right before Laura closes her locker to reveal the N-word spray painted on her locker.
- The first episode (of only a few) to emphasize that the Winslow family is African-American.
- This is the first episode to show that Urkel is quite skilled at basketball. His skill in the sport would come up in future episodes, such as "Making the Team" and "Grandmama".
Quotes[]
- Carl: Don't they teach black history at your school?
- Laura: Yeah, but only for one month.
- Estelle: That's one month longer than they taught it to me.
- Laura: You know, that really bugs me. I mean, we've made important contributions to this country for over 300 years, but you wouldn't know it looking in most history books. It's not fair.
- Laura: Hey, my locker's open!
- [finds a note hanging on the door]
- Laura: Oh my God.
- Urkel: Laura, what's wrong?
- Laura: [reading note] 'If you want black history, go back to Africa'.
- Urkel: What?
- [takes note and crumbles it, Laura slams locker door, revealing the N-word painted on it]
- Carl: How's she doing?
- Harriette: She's still pretty upset. She wouldn't even touch her dinner.
- Carl: Well, Harriette, what are those people teaching down at that school? Their own version of the 3 R's? Reading, 'Riting and Racism?
- Harriette: Carl, calm down. It's not the school's fault.
- Carl: Well is she still crying?
- Harriette: Every time she stops, she starts all over again.
- [Carl hits the mantle]
- Harriette: Carl.
- Carl: Harriette, I just feel so helpless! My daughter's been hurt and I can't do a thing about it. I can't even tell her it won't ever happen again.
- Harriette: I know. You know, I was exposed to this sort of thing when I was growing up, but I always hoped it would be different for my kids.
- Carl: Come on, Harriette. The people that did this to us are teaching the same garbage to their kids.
- Estelle: Laura, when I was about your age, I loved to read. Just like you. But our little town only had one library and it was for whites only.
- Laura: You couldn't check out a book?
- Estelle: I couldn't even go in. And even then I knew it wasn't right. So one day, I decided to do something about it. So I walked in the library. Sugar, I couldn't believe my eyes. There were thousands of books just sitting there waiting to be read.
- Laura: Did they let you take one?
- Estelle: The librarian, a white man that I had known all my life, pushed me out into the street and told me never to come back.
- Laura: Did you cry?
- Estelle: All the way home. And the next day, I cried all the way back to the library.
- Laura: You went back?
- Estelle: Every day for six months. People stopped and stared. They called me names, and some even spit at me.
- Laura: Weren't you scared?
- Estelle: Was I ever. And sometimes I was sorry I ever started the whole thing. But I didn't quit. Finally, one rainy day, I walked in dripping wet. And that same man that pushed me out shook his head and gave me a library card.
- Laura: Wow.
- Estelle: And from that day on, everybody could use that library. Sugar, I realize you're having a hard time, but you've got to stand up or whatever you believe in or things will never change. This library card... is proof that one person can make a difference.
- Urkel: [reading a poster] "Dr. George F. Grant patented the first wooden golf tee in 1899." Now, gee, that's ironic. Here it is, 92 years later, and we still can't tee off at some country clubs.
- Laura: You know, I just don't get why people are so afraid of our history.
- Urkel: Well, because it's different. And believe you me, I know what being different is all about.
- Principal Shiamata: Those posters. Highly inflammatory. We have a serious situation at this school. Racial tension. These posters can only fan the flames.
- Ms. Steuben: Mr. Shimata, I've spoken to several teachers and we would all welcome the opportunity to present a more balanced view of American history.
- Urkel: Way to go, Stu-Bee-Doo.