Family Matters (TV Series)

Fight the Good Fight (1991)

Jo Marie Payton: Harriette Winslow

Quotes 

• Harriette Winslow : Laura, you've had your head in those books all morning, got a big test coming up?

  Laura Lee Winslow : Nope, this is Black History Month. Did you know an African American helped design the blueprint for Washington, D.C.?

  Carl Otis Winslow : Yep, Benjamin Banneker.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Hey, not bad.

  Carl Otis Winslow : Hey, your old man's read a book or two.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Now, for the championship and the toaster oven, who made the first patented shoe sewing machine?

  Carl Otis Winslow : Uh, uh...

  Estelle 'Mother' Winslow : Buzz!

  Laura Lee Winslow : Grandma!

  Estelle 'Mother' Winslow : It was Jan Matzeliger, in 1883.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Yeah, that's right, how'd you know?

  Estelle 'Mother' Winslow : Who do you think bought his first pair of shoes?

• Harriette Winslow : Now here's something I didn't know. Alexandre Dumas was black.

  Carl Otis Winslow : The guy who wrote The Three Musketeers?

  Harriette Winslow : Yeah.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Most people don't know that.

  Harriette Winslow : Why? Don't they teach Black History at your school?

  Laura Lee Winslow : Yeah, but only for one month.

  Estelle 'Mother' Winslow : That's one month longer than they taught it to me.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Well that really bugs me. I mean we've made contributions to this country for over 300 years, but you wouldn't know it looking at most history books, it's not fair.

  Carl Otis Winslow : Well sweetheart, if you feel that strongly about it, maybe you should do something about it.

  Laura Lee Winslow : Maybe I will.

• Carl Otis Winslow : How's she doing?

  Harriette Winslow : She's still pretty upset, she wouldn't even touch her dinner.

  Carl Otis Winslow : Well Harriette, what are those people teaching down at that school? Their own version of the 3 R's? Reading, 'Riting and Racism?

  Harriette Winslow : Carl, calm down, it's not the school's fault.

  Carl Otis Winslow : Well is she still crying?

  Harriette Winslow : Every time she stops, she starts all over again.

  [Carl hits the mantel] 

  Harriette Winslow : Carl.

  Carl Otis Winslow : 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 Winslow : 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 Otis Winslow : Come on, Harriette! The people that did this to us are teaching the same GARBAGE to their kids.

• Harriette Winslow : Carl, I'm up in Laura's room and she looks at me, and she asks 'Why, Mom? Why would somebody do this to me?' And I hear myself telling her the same things my mother told me. "Some people are ignorant, they're afraid, they hate anybody and anything that's different."

  Carl Otis Winslow : And what'd she say?

  Harriette Winslow : She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and she said "Why, Mom?"

• Carl Otis Winslow : [Laura comes home distraught]  Laura, what happened?

  Laura Lee Winslow : [in tears]  Daddy, everything's a mess!

  Harriette Winslow : Laura, did somebody do something to you?

  Laura Lee Winslow : No, it's the whole school! The black kids won't talk to the white kids, people are calling each other names, taking sides! And it's all my fault.

  Carl Otis Winslow : *Your* fault?

  Laura Lee Winslow : If I hadn't started that petition, none of this would've happened. I just wanted to make things better but I ended up making them worse!

  Harriette Winslow : Honey, that's not true. None of this is your fault.

  Carl Otis Winslow : That's right, that petition was a great idea.

  Laura Lee Winslow : No it wasn't. I wish I'd never done it. I just wish it would all go away, Daddy.

  [cries]