9/11, Recreated: New Film Revisits the Classroom Where America Changed Forever

Twenty-five years ago, one of the most recognizable moments in American history unfolded inside a second-grade classroom at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida.

On September 11, 2001, then-U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Rod Paige, a longtime educator and former Texas Southern University coach, athletic director and education dean, stood alongside President George W. Bush as the President was informed that a second plane had struck the World Trade Center.

Now, that historic moment is being revisited in the forthcoming film Paragraphs of a Paige, which chronicles the life, career and legacy of Dr. Paige, the first African American to serve as U.S. Secretary of Education.

The filmmakers have released a first-look clip recreating the September 11 classroom scene, offering audiences a glimpse into the life of an educator whose career took him from the segregated South to the highest levels of American education policy.

For Texas Southern University, the story holds particular significance.

Before his appointment as Secretary of Education, Dr. Paige spent decades shaping the lives of students and strengthening educational institutions, including a significant chapter of his career at TSU.

Dr. Paige served as head football coach at Texas Southern University from 1971 to 1975 and as the University’s full-time athletic director from 1975 to 1980. During his tenure, he recruited top athletic talent and helped strengthen the University’s athletics program. In 2024, he was inducted into the Texas Southern University Athletics Hall of Fame.

He later served for a decade as Dean of the Texas Southern College of Education, where he founded the University’s Center for Excellence in Urban Education, further establishing his commitment to preparing educators to serve students in urban communities.

His impact remains visible on the TSU campus today through the Roderick R. Paige Education Building, named in recognition of his contributions to teacher preparation and education.

The September 11 scene was particularly important to the filmmakers because of the unique circumstances surrounding Dr. Paige’s presence in that classroom.

“This film is important because it tells the story of a man who devoted his life to the belief that education could change the trajectory of a child, a family and a nation,” said Stephanie Paige, wife of the late Dr. Rod Paige and former Texas Southern University Board of Regents member. “Highlighting 9/11 was essential because, in one of America’s darkest moments, Secretary Rod Paige was there with President Bush in that classroom. It is a powerful reminder that even in a moment of national crisis, our children, our classrooms and the promise of education remained at the center of America’s future.”

Paragraphs of a Paige is a hybrid scripted and documentary film that traces Dr. Paige’s journey from segregated Mississippi through his decades in education, his leadership at Texas Southern University and his historic appointment to the nation’s top education post.

“Dr. Paige’s mission was so clear that even in a moment of utter chaos, he was still focused on making underrepresented communities a priority in America,” said director Isaac Yowman. “For people who may not know Dr. Paige’s story, I felt this was a moment so many Americans could immediately connect to, and a powerful entry point into understanding who he was and what he dedicated his life to.”

The film stars Woody McClain and Sean Hamilton as Paige at different stages of his life, alongside Thomas “Nephew Tommy” Miles, and is directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Isaac Yowman.

Vincent Powell, a professor in the Texas Southern University School of Communications, serves as a producer on the project. Executive producers include Stephanie Nellons Paige and Danielle R. Robinson.

By revisiting a morning etched into America’s collective memory, Paragraphs of a Paige offers a perspective rarely explored: the story of the educator who was in the classroom that morning and the decades of work that brought him there.

For Texas Southern University, it is also an opportunity to revisit the legacy of one of its most influential alumni and leaders, whose contributions to athletics, education, and teacher preparation continue to have a lasting presence on the university’s campus and beyond.

Paragraphs of a Paige is slated for release in 2027 and was produced in partnership with the Estate of Rod Paige, alongside key partners Texas Southern University, The Fordham B. Thomas Institute, The Center for Education Reform and Educational Entertainment.