Get On The Bus - Plot

Plot

12 African American men are introduced aboard the bus as it leaves L.A. for the cross-country drive to D.C. where the Million Man March is being held. They have nothing in common except for their race and destination.

Along the way, the men get to know each other and discuss various topics including their personal lives, their political beliefs, and religious affiliations.

The elderly Jeremiah reveals that after he lost his job, he became an alcoholic and eventually lost his family. He hopes the March will revitalize him and inspire him to turn his life around. Evan Jr., who fancies himself as a gangster rap artist, manages to escape from his father at one point. Evan Sr. finds Junior and realizes that Junior's criminal behavior was an attempt to gain his attention after he became neglectful. He expresses regret and promises to make a sincere effort to be there for Junior.

Xavier, begins interviewing the passengers, allowing each of the passengers to reveal information about their lives and how they perceive themselves and the March. Xavier captures as much as he can on his camcorder .

Tensions rise after Xavier's interview with Flip, an aspiring actor who is full of hatred and seems to be missing the whole purpose of the March. He claims to be a racist and provokes the gay couple, Kyle and Randall, for being homosexuals and Gary for being biracial.

Gary is a police officer and is anxious to put an end to all the atrocities happening in his streets. He has even worked with a community outreach program to discourage children from becoming involved in gang activity. Jamal admits to committing murder and rape, crimes for which he was never arrested or punished. Gary informs him that he will be arrested upon their return to California.

Kyle, a Gulf War veteran feels he has been persecuted from all sides because of his race and sexual orientation. Randall tries to comfort him. An argument ensues between Flip and Kyle and turns violent when Flip punches Kyle. In the resulting fistfight, Kyle is victorious and Flip is embarrassed.

During the trip, the bus breaks down and the group boards a new bus. The new driver is Rick (Richard Belzer), who is ethnically Jewish. Later, Rick in protest refuses to drive and leaves. George takes over for the rest of the trip, with help from Evan Sr. who, while not licensed a bus driver, has experience driving trucks.

The group meet various people at rest stops including fellow travelers, friendly White American Southerners and women. At a diner, the group meets Wendell (Wendell Pierce), a Lexus salesman who bribes his way onto the bus. He quickly comes to be accused as racist from the others and the passengers literally throw him out of the bus.

While driving through Knoxville, Tennessee, the bus is pulled over by a group of redneck Tennessee state troopers on suspicion of drug trafficking. The bus is searched with drug-sniffing dogs. However they do not find anything illegal and the racist state troopers reluctantly permit the bus to continue on its way.

As the bus approaches Washington, D.C., Jeremiah becomes unconscious and is rushed to a hospital, where it is revealed that Jeremiah has coronary artery disease. Evan Sr. and Jr., Gary, Jamal, and Xavier, stay behind and watch the beginning of March on television while the others attend the march. Jeremiah dies. The men are shocked and saddened by Jeremiah's death. They end up watching the rest of the March from the hospital. As they come out of the hospital, the group see their bus pull up, where George tells them that he and the rest of the people on the bus traveled only halfway to the march before they decided to come back to be with Jeremiah.

As the bus prepares to return home, George tells the men that the March should be seen as merely the beginning of a larger movement. Jeremiah's drum is given to Xavier. George finds a paper in the hollow bottom of the drum, which is told to be the prayer Jeremiah wrote in honor of the Million Man March. Later, in front of the Lincoln Memorial, George leads the men in Jeremiah's prayer. In the bus, the group quietly reflects on the trip's events. The film ends with a front side view of the Lincoln Memorial that scrolls down to show a broken shackle lying near its base.