Denzel Washington To Premiere Movie at Harvard

Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington will premiere his new movie, "Remember the Titans," at Harvard's Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, the Black Student's Association (BSA) has announced.

In the movie, which is based on a true story, Washington plays the role of Herman Boone, the newly-installed coach of the Titans, a football team at a recently integrated high school in Virginia. According to its web site, "Remember the Titans" revolves around Boone's struggle to reconcile black and white players on the team--and highlights the development of his friendship with the white man who he replaced.

Anticipating the demand for tickets would be greater than the supply, the BSA lotteried the 50 tickets it has to each of the two film showings. But only dues-paying members of the BSA were eligible.

The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations is sponsoring the event.

Members of the football team and the executive boards of ethnic organizations on campus will also be attending the premiere and a later reception, BSA officials said.

Late last night, Michael J. Clare '01, the captain of the Harvard Crimson football team, said that the team had not been invited to the event to the best of his knowledge. BSA members, who said they received the information on invitations from the Harvard Foundation, were unavailable last night to sort out the discrepancy.

BSA President Aaliyah N. Williams '02 said that she first heard that Washington would come to Harvard in September, and eagerly set to work with Foundation director S. Allen Counter to iron out details.

Williams said that the inclusion of BSA members, football players and leaders of ethnic student organizations was part of an effort to have a dialogue about the issues the movie raises.

Holding the premiere at Harvard

is "a way to bring all the different groups on campus together and discuss the issues that were brought up in the movie, including racial tension," Williams said.

Organizers had teased the event for days in e-mail messages to the BSA list, urging students to come to last Friday's general meeting. The occasion would be, the e-mail messages said, "the biggest event the black Harvard community has ever seen."

According to BSA Treasurer Brandon A. Gayle '03, 154 people had paid their dues and were entered into the lottery as of 8 p.m. Sunday. (Last year Gayle noted, "roughly" 37 people paid the money.) The lottery closed at midnight this morning, and the lucky 100 will be notified soon.

BSA leaders said they hope the movie premiere will kindle an ambitious year of programming.

"We have a lot of energy going on in the organization right now and we hope that people will continue with that," said Williams. "I think this is going to be a good year."