Greetings from The Paley Center for Media’s Education Department!
Welcome to the latest installment of “What We’re Watching,” a Paley guide for Education@Home. For the next month, our newsletter is being taken over by college students that are part of the Peter Roth Internship program @Paley!
This week’s “media share” is brought to you by Jasiah Washington, a rising senior at New York University, and Zoey Hawkins, a rising junior at Purchase College. Enjoy this unique perspective from the next generation of television and media professionals.
As always, if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at eduny@paleycenter.org.
Happy viewing,
Rebekah Fisk, Director of Education
Carlos Pareja, Manager of Education
What We're Watching: Black Pride Edition—A Juneteenth + Pride Celebration
June is Pride month, but it also holds the beloved holiday Juneteenth: nationally recognized as the end of slavery in the United States. Because these two intersect, we wanted to highlight characters that represent intersectionality in black and brown characters and LGBTQ representation. This newsletter will focus on youth within the Black and LGBTQ communities since media has barely touched the surface on the stories that can be told.
This Week's Recommendations for Younger Viewers
The Proud Family 2.0 Louder and Prouder: “Juneteenth” (2023)
Recommended for Grades 2+
Available on Disney+
The Proud Family 2.0 Louder and Prouder is a beautiful update to the iconic Proud Family animated series from the early 2000s. This show centers on Penny Proud and her interactions between her friends and family, and her unique relationship with her overprotective father. It’s a great combination of everyday middle school life while including fun adventures like running a successful business and learning more about ancestry. The Proud Family 2.0 Louder and Prouder features most of the original main cast, with refreshing new characters, along with topics focused on history, identity, social media, entrepreneurship, homelessness, familial relationships, and all that comes with growing up, and being proud of who you are.
What makes The Proud Family 2.0 Louder and Prouder a must watch during Juneteenth is how black icons are represented throughout the show. Not only are the main voice actors like Nyla Pratt (Penny Proud) featured in the show but many prominent black figures are a part of the fabric that brings magic to the show. This includes notable celebrities like Arsenio Hall, Leslie Odom Jr, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Normani, Lizzo, Chance the Rapper, Storm Reid, Courtney B. Vance, and Gabby Douglas.
With the best of the best in black entertainment, the show touches on black history, emphasizing freedom, whether that is being proud of your identity or heritage, The Proud Family 2.0 builds upon the message of loving and standing firmly for who you are. As we celebrate freedom for Black Americans during Juneteenth, we must also celebrate and honor black people who freely identify and express themselves. The intersection of black and queer people presents itself in two characters of the show.
The first character we want to highlight is Michael, who is a part of Penny’s main friend group and was a character from the original show. In The Proud Family 2.0 pilot, we see that Michael has grown and blossomed into his identity, identifying as gender nonconfirming and a part of the queer community. He exudes confidence and doesn’t shy away from being 100% himself. He is voiced by E.J Johnson who is a member of the queer community.
The second character we want to highlight is Randall Lebowitz Jenkins. He is openly queer in the show and married to the character Barry Lebowitz Jenkins. They are the fathers of two children in Penny's friend group KG and Maya.
The "Juneteenth" episode of The Proud Family 2.0 Louder and Prouder is what we are recommending today. Maya’s dad Barry is being honored because his ancestor Christopher Smith founded the town Smithville, and they are celebrating him. After Maya finds Emily’s diary (a former slave in Smithville) she learns that Christopher Smith kept slaves enslaved after they were supposed to be free. With this new information, Maya embarks on revealing the truth about the founder of the town. Maya’s teacher Brother Kwame, and her friends and family support Maya by protesting and standing up for what is right.
Viewing Questions
- In the show books are mentioned to help explain complex topics like history. When Maya finds Emily’s diary, why is it so important?
- When Maya’s dad Barry doesn’t believe his ancestors could do something so horrible in the past, and doesn’t want to face reality what does Maya’s other dad Randall suggest he do to learn more? How does reading help us understand history, and how can it help us understand hard topics?
- After hearing about the bad things Christopher Smith did, Maya and her friends do something to help bring awareness about the past. What are the things Maya, and her friends do to stand up for what is right?
Additional Resources
Read
"Equality" by Maya Angelou
My Rainbow by Trinity Neal
Bayard Rustin, Leaders Like Us Series, Guided Reading Level P (Volume 1) by J.P. Miller
Watch
Sesame Street: "Let's Celebrate Juneteenth Song | Power of We Club"+
