Makenzie Moyes

Dr. Halie Wenhold

Intercultural Diversity

3 November, 2021

Journal 3

The Netflix series, “All American” has a great depiction of the black co-cultural group. I

have watched all 3 seasons and throughout most of the shows, it brings awareness to this group

and the specific feelings they have as well as the actions they need to take for being this color of

skin. Watching some of the episodes was hard, as you often do not realize some of the pain this

co-cultural group has to go through, which can make me realize how privileged and fortunate I

am.

I believe this show does portray this co-cultural group correctly as it explains the

thoughts and hardships black people have to go through when experiencing daily life. An

example shown in an episode was when the main characters (Olivia and Spencer) got pulled over

by police, and were asked to step outside the car with their hands behind their back immediately.

If they were white people, the officers would have most likely remained more calm and handled

the situation more efficiently. The only reason Spencer and Olivia were released calmly is

because Olivia’s mom is “DA Baker,” who is a white, well-known female. This made Olivia

upset and decided to take action against racial discrimination to make black and white people

become more equal. There was also an episode dedicated to “Justice for Tamika,” which is the

shooting of an innocent black woman, where this ties in to all the black people, men and women,

innocently shot last year during the riots and rallies. Seeing this co-cultural group act in school,

at home, in their neighborhoods, and how they interact in their friend group shows a great
depiction of this group and their race. All of the main characters in this show are black, but I

think it is also a great factor that they have black characters in rich and poor communities.

Showing both sides on the economic scale within the same race was very beneficial. Growing

up in different neighborhoods and lifestyles, does not exclude them from experiencing the same

racial challenges and comments. Seeing one of the black characters (Jordan), who grew up in

Beverly Hills, with a nice home and a white DA mother, this may have led him to not experience

as many racial challenges as Spencer, who grew up in Crenshaw. Seeing Jordan encounter the

police and treated differently than others was eye opening for his character, as well as the

audience.

From this media text we can gain knowledge about the black community and their

aspects of life, and how they are different from the culture you may have personally grown up

and lived in. This media text shows that they are just as much of human beings as everyone else,

yet they are treated very differently in some ways due to the color of their skin. It is

disappointing that the way we look and our physical appearance can affect our treatment from

others.

This cultural media text aligns with Christ because of the way they represent and show

the black community. Christ calls us to love one another and love thy neighbor, and “All

American” certainly shows us how to do that by conveying how the black community loves and

supports one another as well. Whether the characters are on the football field, coffee shop, or in

their homes, they continue to support one another and stick together as a friend group despite the

drama and relationship challenges the show likes to include.