Taking a Stand: the CW's All American portrays forms of youth activism and allows its viewers to learn about america's racial inequalities

The CW and its writers have created countless iconic youth TV shows. To name a few: Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, Vampire Diaries, and Gossip Girl. While many teens aspire to be a fashionable, powerful female lead such as iconic Blair Waldorf, Queen of the Upper East Side or ambitious Brooke Davis, the CW’s hit show All American provokes a reaction beyond the longing of being a prominent female figure. Nkechi Okoro Carroll’s All American uniquely entices youth to be active performers of youth activism by bringing to light systemic injustices the black community faces through highlighting the experiences of her characters that are part of youth black culture.

Throughout history, youth activism has been performed through various forms of media. Light (2015) states that young people have found ways to share political ideas amongst themselves and with adults. The media has played a large role in these activities for two centuries. A key part of Light’s finding is that she also notes new forms of media are typically used to promote youth activism, however these forms of media are not typically controlled by the youth, adults typically act as gatekeepers to the public sphere. In Caroll’s All American, similar to Light’s point, the youth do not control everything that is written into the show. Instead, they play and are portrayed as prominent and powerful high school students that deal with both typical youth problems--romance, friendships and mental health-- as well as the more complex adversities of being a part of youth black culture in America. All American is based off of NFL player, Spencer Paysinger, who is portrayed through the protagonist Spencer James. Spencer is a student-athlete attending Crenshaw High School. Crenshaw is portrayed as a lower income area with many hardships such as poverty and gang violence. Spencer is offered to play football at the prestigious West Beverly High School where he meets much more privileged individuals and has a better shot at going pro for football. At first, this seems like a typical teenage drama, but immediately, viewers are exposed to the harsh realities of being black in America. The characters and their experiences bring light the harsh realities of being a black teenager and the third season even portrays youth activism to its young viewers and enable them to learn about inequalities within America.

In the Stanford Daily (opens in new window), the article notes that this show was intentionally made for teenagers. Caroll utilizes true experiences (opens in new window) from her own and sons’ lives to portray black youth culture to the audience. In communities of color, parents have been essential transmitters of ethnic and cultural identity, enabling children to develop ideologies that resist oppression (Gordon 2008). Caroll acts as a gatekeeper and transmits her cultural identity to the public sphere by enabling her young viewers to see the harsh realities of youth black culture, develops ideologies that resist oppression, and hopes that people act upon this. She is the gatekeeper because she has the ultimate say of what is portrayed to the public in this television series.

All American Season one, Episode 3 “I”, addresses the problems of police brutality against black youth. Spencer James and Jordan Baker, son of Coach Billy Baker of West Beverly High School, are driving back from a football event that was held in Crenshaw. As the two make their way back to the ritzier side of Los Angeles in Beverly Hills, the two are stopped by two cops. The interaction begins to head south when Jordan becomes less patient with the two officers intensely questioning them and then is harshly pinned to the ground. Spencer also is eventually pinned to the ground too. The fear is portrayed in both their eyes and this scene is Caroll’s first prominent portrayal of the harsh realities of being a part of black youth in America. Jackson points out that many of the times, news channels and even TV networks, do not provide a clear representation of what black experiences are that deal with anti-black violence and experiences within the criminal justice system. This is why the youth seek to spread their messages on different forms of social media so the narrative is not altered (Jackson 2020). While Jackson makes a good point, Caroll’s work challenges this statement by bringing to life the reality of police brutality through Spencer and Jordan’s experience. The audience, who are mostly teenagers and young adults, is exposed to how the country’s justice systems sometimes fail black youth. This scene provokes feelings of empathy and fear for the two main characters that are experiencing police brutality. Some viewers are able to relate to these experiences, while others have the privilege of being educated on the matter.

Additionally, in Season 2, Episode 9, One of Them Nights, Spencer, his friends, and his little brother visit an ice cream shop . When Spencer and his little brother begin to argue about something minor in the store, the owner calls the police for a disturbance. When the police arrive, the group is confused why the police are even questioning them in the first place. During this scene, Caroll incorporates powerful dialogue that reveal another example of biased treatment from the police. The two officers ask Spencer if he is in a gang and also show one of the policemen grabbing his gun at his hip. Eventually, Jordan Baker’s father, Billy Baker, attends to the situation and utilizes the term “racial profiling”. This scene demonstrates to its viewers a concrete example of racial profiling because the owner of the store and the police, assume that Spencer is a dangerous individual or part of a gang due to his appearance. It is another moment where the viewers are able to learn what racial profiling is and its psychological effects on youth. This scene also demonstrates how black youth have to learn specific behaviors on how to interact with police and society in order to be safe during situations like the one portrayed. What is interesting is that youthful viewers take first steps in learning about racial inequalities by merely watching All American because they are being educated on adversities that black youth face. Lee (2018) brings up that digital media creates new and alternate public spheres and reshapes the way in which youth participate in civics and politics. Not only do viewers learn about these instances of police brutality, they also learn how to act upon it if seen later in the episode. Olivia Baker-- daughter of Billy Baker, sister of Jordan, and best friend of Spencer-- is shown recording the whole incident, posts it, and then discusses the content on her Podcast. Olivia’s podcast is very successful in the plot of the show. This demonstration of youth activism within the show teaches young viewers the power of social media and inspires individuals that their voice can be heard. Olivia Baker engaging in forms of activism within the public sphere encourages the viewers of All American that they can be a part of the movement too.

Although there are many examples in Season One and Two of the show, Season Three dedicates much of its time contributing to the Black Lives Matter Movement and clearly demonstrates youth activism. In the beginning of Season 3, All American immediately addresses the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests by visually portraying youth activism within the TV show. Kirshner (2007) emphasizes that campaigns provide alternative frames for adolescent identity development, especially for youth of color who cope with negative stereotypes. Through the character of Olivia Baker, adolescent development is shown due to her participation in youth activism. In Season Three, there is the death of an individual named Tamika Pratt who was shot in her car while sleeping. As previously mentioned, Olivia’s podcast is quite successful in the show and is a place where she addresses the unfortunate situation of Tamika Pratt. There are many scenes where Olivia attends protests, memorials, and works on spreading awareness about police brutality. Caroll also makes it very clear that they are specifically discussing the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement because there is a scene in the middle of the hallway at West Beverly High School where Olivia is painting the words “Black Lives Matter”. The portrayal of youth activism within the show, demonstrates the power of this form of protest because it utilizes character experiences engaging in youth activism and encourages viewers to participate. Caroll reported (opens in new window) that she received many letters from parents expressing how grateful they were that the TV show opened up conversations about race, identity, and class. She also received notes from teacher’s expressing thanks to her because half of one teacher’s class chose to write about All American in their essay’s and how it addresses racial inequalities. These examples are clear participation and beginning steps to addressing racial inequalities in this country. This TV show invites everyone, despite differences, to come together, watch, and be educated on a serious challenge that America faces. All American encourages its viewers to begin youth activism work because it demonstrates youth activism within the show on real and current topics black youth face. This TV series reached an audience-- the youth population and teenagers interested in teenage dramas-- that may not have been educated on racial inequalities before and allows viewers to participate in a beginning step to fighting oppressive systems within the U.S.

Academic References

(note: that all non-academic sources are linked in-text)

• Gordon. (2008). Gendered Paths to Teenage Political Participation: Parental Power, Civic Mobility, and Youth Activism. Gender & Society, 22(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243207311046.

• Jackson, S. J., Bailey, M., Welles, B. F., & Lauren, G. (2020). Racial Violence and Racial Profiling: From #OscarGrant to #TrayvonMartin. In #hashtagactivism: Networks of Race and Gender Justice (pp. 97–121). essay, The MIT Press.

• Jennifer S. Light. (2015). “Putting Our Conversations in Context: Youth, Old Media, and Political Participation, 1800-1971.” In Danielle Allen and Jennifer S. Light (eds.), From Voice to Influence: Understanding Citizenship in a Digital Age. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

• Kirshner. (2007). Introduction: Youth Activism as a Context for Learning and Development. The American Behavioral Scientist (Beverly Hills), 51(3), 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207306065.

• Lee A. Invisible networked publics and hidden contention: Youth activism and social media tactics under repression. New Media & Society. 2018;20(11):4095-4115. doi:10.1177/1461444818768063.