Randy Smith

**Randy Smith** is the deuteragonist of *Our Friend, Martin*.

## Personality and Traits

* Physical appearance
* Personality
Randy has blond hair and blue eyes. He wears a red jersey over a orange shirt, gray shorts and white sneakers. He also has an earring.

Randy is a 12-year-old white skater, who talks with a country accent. Miles' best friend, buddy, and partner in his adventures through time. In the alternate timeline, he and Kyle are best friends and pick on black kids like Miles.

## Role in the Film

Randy first rides his skateboard to the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Mrs. Clark's class until Kyle trips him. He then gets assigned with Miles, Kyle, and Maria for the Martin Luther King, Jr. project by Mrs. Clark.

At the Martin Luther King Jr. museum, Randy and Miles get transported to the past by Mrs. Peck and meet little Martin Luther King, Jr., and become friends by playing baseball together Sam and Skip's mother tells them to come home since she thinks their skin is darker than hers, stating that they would hate her back if she criticizes their skin again. After Martin left with his pops, they start to time travel again with Martin's baseball mitt.

On the train in 1944, he and Miles find a 27-year-old Martin and decide to talk to him, even at dinnertime at his old house where they meet Daddy King. When Miles winds the watch again, Randy and Miles land themselves in 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama where Martin was working at a ministering church and was holding a meeting about the Montgomery bus boycott set off after Rosa Parks was imprisoned for refusing to give up her seat on a bus; now, black people are refusing to ride buses at all. They later travel to the Birmingham riot of 1963, witnessing firemen and police officers spraying black protesters with firehoses and releasing German Shepherds on them on the order of Bull Connor before arresting them.

The boys later return to the museum and rejoin their class at school the next day. They recall one of Martin's memories during these events and the class watches a videotape of Martin's work. Back at the museum, Randy, Miles, Maria, and Kyle travel to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and meet Martin in his 30s along with a young Mrs. Clark and listen to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. In the present, Randy and his friends join Miles as he tries to save his 12-year-old self from 1941 after discovering that he got assassinated, but when Martin and Miles land at an alternate time, Miles discovers that Randy was friends with Kyle instead of him. At Robert E. Lee Middle School, he and Kyle help Mr. Harris kick black people out of his school, including Martin and Miles.

Later, when Miles returns to the present, Randy reveals that he and Miles were still best buds as always. In the end, he and all of his friends make a mural to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.'s history.

## Memorable Quotes

* *"What's it to ya?"*
* *"Oh, man, even time travel is safer than this."*
* *"Don't call my best friend a dork! Now, split!"*
* *"Surf's up, Mrs. C!"*
* *"Just, uh... move it if you know what's good for ya."*
* *"Ow! I slammed my lip."*
* *"Excellent!"*

## Trivia

* In the future, he is best friends with Kyle and they pick on black people like Miles.
* He and Miles have been friends for a long time in the present.