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Think you know Remember the Titans? Think again. In this episode, Sam and LT unpack the real TC Williams story, the cheer squad’s role, and the hero Hollywood sidelined. Hear the music, rivalry, and truth that was missed in the 2000 movie. Listen now and tell us: what shocked you most?

Special thanks to our guest, Ms. Linda Lewis-Pickett.

This episode was supported by the Virginia Humanities.

https://virginiahumanities.org/

Learn more about the infamous 1971 state championship team here:

https://robertmluckett.com/

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https://www.smartgirlbook.com/

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We rewatch Remember The Titans with Dr. Andrew Sargent (West Chester University) and confront how a feel good sports movie can still center white sacrifice, flatten Black interiority, and sell a seductive colorblind story about integration. We also reconnect through grad school memories and talk about teaching film, African American literature, and cultural analysis when students arrive with strong feelings and sharper questions.

Text mentioned in this conversation:

https://www.amazon.com/Signs-Life-USA-Readings-Popular/dp/031264700X

Go here for the Smart Girl experience:

https://www.smartgirlbook.com/

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What happens when you can't afford to eat in college?

Sam and La'Tonya speak with Lenita Seals, LT’s cousin and the unforgettable voice behind the “Basic Needs” chapter of Smart Girl. Lenita takes us back to Williamston, North Carolina, where class shaped everything and Black women were expected to stay small.

Then the story turns to what too many first-generation college students still face: food insecurity, financial aid confusion, and the pressure to pretend you’re fine. Lenita explains how $20 was expected to last months, how hunger made studying impossible, and why pride kept her from telling family how bad it was. We connect that to today’s campus basic needs conversations, including how systems can fail students even when dining halls exist, and why student affairs leaders still underestimate hunger.

We also zoom out to culture and mythology, talking Remember the Titans, Coach Herman Boone, and what it means to hear from someone who knew him before the movie version took over.

Go here for the Smart Girl experience:

https://www.smartgirlbook.com/