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2,500 students watch documentary on 1975 Maggie Walker football team

Posted at 6:08 PM, Mar 01, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-01 18:08:54-05

Twenty-five hundred students glued to the big screen get an up close and personal lesson in black history as they watch the film “Our Perfect Season.”

The documentary chronicles the legends of the 1975 Maggie Walker football team; a team that steamrolled any opponent who got in the way.

The gathering on a February school morning was about much more than football, though.

It was a unique collaboration between Richmond Public Schools, St. Paul’s Baptist Church and McDonalds.

The goal was to educate students about how former Richmond Public School student-athletes triumphed on and off the field. The group endured busing in the years after segregation and shared personal accounts on film about the obstacles that they faced during that time.

Superintendent Dr. Dana Bedden said his hope was that the movie would spread hope to the students.

“That it would teach them my past doesn’t have to define my future, I can actually re-write my future into something better that I thought it would be,” Dr. Bedden said.

Students heard words of advice from noted panelists who are products of Richmond Public Schools. That included Pierre Johnson, the film’s creator. They also heard from former NBA and WNBA players from this area and from member of that 1975 Maggie Walker team.

“Success is always approaching us and knocking on our door. We just understand that success is an appointment and we must take advantage of it," Johnson explained.

St. Paul’s Baptist Church pastor Dr. Lance Watson says the film showed students that heroes are every people.

“It allows them to see that heroes are not some strange extra-terrestrials. Everyday people can live heroically and if that’s possible for their neighbors, it’s possible for them,” Dr. Watson said.

Freda Thornton, a local McDonald’s owner gave away free food to all 2,500 students after the program at St. Paul’s.

She said she wants students to see what can be achieved when they work hard. She said they should also know that many of the opportunities coming their way are due in part, to the sacrifice and perseverance of some Richmonders before them.

“They may not realize it, but they are standing on the shoulders of others before them, " Thornton added.

Lessons students say they’ll carry for years to come.

“I learned that under any circumstance you can always succeed. Some of the people who spoke to us grew up in the projects. A lot of them had struggles, but they made it out successfully. I appreciate them telling us about their struggles," said George Wythe senior Ladasia Harris.

After the event, students who viewed the film will be eligible to participate in an essay competition that will correlate with SOLs.  The ten winners selected will be awarded scholarships through the St. Paul’s Community Foundation.

Those winners will be announced in May.

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