Do the Write Thing

what happens

Lena cannot keep her grades high enough to maintain her engineering scholarship. She writes an essay about her father for an English assignment. Professor Foster is so impressed that he enters her work in a contest. She wins the award and receives a journalism scholarship. Lena is mortified when her father shows up for the awards ceremony. He is not the Vietnam vet and former Black Panther she described in her essay, but rather a hustler who is constantly in debt. Mr. James approves of Lena's actions, as he feels that she was just doing what was necessary to survive. Lena fears that she is just like her father, but he states that she can choose her own path. She confesses to Professor Foster, who was already aware of her duplicity. He says that she is a good writer and helps her get an English scholarship. Whitley alienates one of Byron's potential benefactors by wearing a fur coat. She brushes up on the issues in the hopes of becoming an asset to Byron's campaign.

guest cast

Billed for this episode only — the turn people remember an episode for.

• Ajai Sanders as Gina Devereaux
• Jada Pinkett Smith as Lena James
• Joe Morton as Byron Douglas III
• Roscoe Lee Browne as Dr. Barnabus Foster
• Ron Canada as Grover James
• Leonard Lightfoot as Ted Selman
• Cory Tyler as Terrence Taylor
• Anne Gee Byrd as Maude Mitchell