The Impact Of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why

Being a teenager can be hard.

Show’s like Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why reminds me just how much I don’t miss the sometimes complicated and emotionally tumultuous time of being a teenager.

The series is now in its third season and if you’re not familiar with the show, it begins with the story of a young, bright, and beautiful teenager named Hannah Baker, with a promising future, whose life was tragically cut short after she committed suicide after being bullied, assaulted, and ostracized by her peers. Before her death, she records her story and her interactions with her peers, via cassette tapes, with each tape leaving clues and startling and sometimes heartbreaking revelations about everything she has gone through and different troubling situations that a number of her peers have been involved in and stayed silent about.

Though controversial, it’s hard to ignore the impact the series has left on the culture and the spotlight it’s exposed on the sometimes harsh realities of what it’s like being a teenager in today’s world.

What kind of war zones are our youth up against these days and how can we keep them safe?

When I was a teenager and went through moments of humiliation or bullying or rumors or a falling out with friends, things usually went no further than awkward silences, some staredowns, and a few empty threats.

Today’s teens are often not as fortunate.

They’re up under a lot of stress, anxiety, and peer pressure. They also have the internet and social media at their fingertips via smartphones, so, unfortunately, humiliating and sometimes dangerous and scarring incidents are snapped, recorded, reposted, and shared at unbelievable rates. 13 Reasons Why shows just how quickly things can become escalated, exploited, misunderstood, and sadly have tragic consequences for all parties involved.

I believe this series has gone far beyond just having a conversation about bullying, but has additionally brought viewers into the deep, dark, and complicated world of what it can be like being a teenager not only trying to thrive in that space but to survive in it too. 13 Reasons Why is important and I hope it continues to speak to more and more people as the series (which is anticipated to go up to four seasons) unfolds.

The Day I Became A Kidney Donor

About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...

Dear Young Black Professionals

As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...

Black Male Athletes And Their Dating Preferences

In the 2017 horror film Get Out , there’s an unforgettable scene when one of the film’s villainous characters, Rose, a young white woman, is seen eating Fruit Loops and drinking a bottle of milk through a straw as she searches the internet for “Top NCAA prospects.” This moment in the film is frightening because the purpose of Rose’s search is to ultimately lure young and unsuspecting Black men to a deadly fate after she begins dating them. If you’ve seen the film, you know how everything ultimately turns out, but if you haven’t, you’ll have a better understanding of the bigger picture. Recently, college football superstar and future NFL prospect, Travis Hunter, became a source of media scrutiny and controversy regarding his relationship with his fiancée, Leanna Lenee. Much of the criticism was around his fiancée and comments she shared about how she wasn’t initially interested in Travis before they started dating. Additionally, she received backlash regarding the couple’s interact...

Making Waves