#3 - Between Two Worlds: Navigating Black/white Spaces on ‘Moesha’ and ‘All American’

Leftist Teen Drama

In the third episode, Maria and guests Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Liv Christian discuss beloved teen drama characters Moesha Mitchell from MOESHA (1996-2001) and Spencer James from ALL AMERICAN (2018-present). These two Crenshaw-based main characters are plunged into richer, whiter spaces when they transfer to different schools. As a result, they have similar arcs set twenty years apart, as they’re pulled between two worlds and try to merge their friend groups even though they’re very socioeconomically different, all against the backdrop of gentrification. As always, we pull from our own high school experiences as we talk about everything from academic racism to microaggressions to dealing with the police. Plus: we say “that’s so 90s” about a million times and reminisce about the “free on iTunes era.”

For this episode, we recommend you watch or have familiarity with MOESHA Season 3 and ALL AMERICAN Seasons 1, 2, and 3, both streaming on Netflix

CW: a scene that depicts Black teenagers interacting with racist cops is discussed/featured

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL | instagram, tumblr, tiktok: @leftistteendrama | twitter: @leftyteendrama | website: leftistteendrama.com

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator and writer who watches too much TV. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. In addition to Leftist Teen Drama, Maria hosts Bodysuits For Bughead: A Riverdale Podcast | tumblr: @bodysuitsforbughead twitter: @B4B_Podcast instagram: @bodysuits4bughead

DONDRÉ TAYLOR-STEWART (he/him; recurring guest) is a television writer in Los Angeles where he splits his time between writing, adult content creation and obsessively listening to R&B deep cuts like it's 1996. IG: oxtail.papi TWITTER: dondrenesta

OLIVIA “LIV” CHRISTIAN (she/her; recurring guest) is a writer and freelance digital marketer living in Los Angeles, CA. When she’s not writing screenplays or working on ways to help her client’s shine, you can find her watching teen dramas and hanging on the couch with her cat Rumble. IG: yung.scorp twitter: _yungscorp

MADDY WIRYO (they/them; art) is an artist who works all around New England.

You can find more of their work at: maddyworldfr.wordpress.com

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, streams sometimes, and loves talking old TV.

Maria and Jeff’s good union cats CLARENCE and VINNY may make an appearance and/or be mentioned.

intro song: Stomping the Room by Delicate Beats

All opinions shared on this show are that of individuals and do not represent the views of any organization we may be affiliated with.

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SOURCES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

‘Moesha’ Creators Changed The Setting In Season 3 To Attract White Advertisers by Brenda Alexander for CheatSheet

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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:

The End of Policing by Alex Vitale