In the Leftist Teen Drama Season 5 premiere, Maria is joined by Kelly Diaz to discuss one of the most comprehensive student protest movements that she analyzed in her dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television. In Season 5 of SWITCHED AT BIRTH (2011-2017), a second protest movement emerges over multiple episodes, this time in the university setting of UMKC, purposefully told from the point of view of three Black secondary characters while they fight for racial justice on campus. Much like the Season 2 SWITCHED AT BIRTH plotline Maria and Kelly discussed on Episode #28, this plotline is inspired by real-life events: namely the 2015 racial justice protests at the University of Missouri. We break down the character journeys of our activist characters and the myriad tactics used throughout the movement, from canvassing for petition signatures and interviews with campus blogs to civil disobedience and even a hunger strike. 

For this episode, we recommend you first watch or have familiarity with SWITCHED AT BIRTH Seasons 1-5, but especially Season 5, Episode 2, “This Has to Do With Me,” Season 5, Episode 4, “Relation of Lines and Colors,” and Season 5, Episode 5, “Occupy Truth,” currently streaming on Hulu. You may also want to listen to our first Leftist Teen Drama ep that covers events from SWITCHED AT BIRTH Seasons 1-2: Episode #28 - Deaf Students ‘Occupy Carlton’ to Save Their School on ‘Switched At Birth’ in Homage to Historic Gallaudet Protests.

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

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ABOUT US:

MARIA DIPASQUALE (she/her; host/editor) is a Brooklyn-based union communicator, organizer, and writer who watches too much TV. She splits her free time between devouring teen dramas, creating this podcast, tenant organizing, and writing and reading (fan)fiction. Follow Maria on Twitter @Maria_DiP26, IG @mdzip, and tiktok @marialovesunions. 

KELLY DIAZ (she/her; recurring guest) is a Research Program Manager at Yale University studying disability & chronic illness justice, access, and inclusion. She is also an adjunct instructor of Media Studies at the City College of New York (CCNY). She has a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania where she wrote her dissertation on depictions of youth activism on television. She loves to analyze and discuss the intersection of pop culture and politics and is passionate about the role entertainment plays in social justice movements. She has a dog, Matilda "Tillie," who is named after the magical, brilliant, and justice-serving character!  

JEFF MCHALE (he/him; producer) is an extremely online guy who plays games, works in the cannabis industry, and loves talking old TV.

CHARLES S. O’LEARY (they/he; art) is a designer + writer based in Richmond, VA. They're currently getting their MFA in Graphic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University, and spend most of their time unsuccessfully scheming how to get off Instagram (@c.s.0.l).

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 THE EPISODE: 

• August 20, 2018, Inside Higher Ed: Protesters Tear Down Silent Sam by Scott Jaschik


• June 8, 2020, NPR: Protests Are Bringing Down Confederate Monuments Around The South by Debbie Elliott


• March 19, 2024, Black Lives Matter: Our History


• August 26, 2020, Southern Vision Alliance: “A rallying point for Confederate agitators”: Students’ fight to topple racism at the University of Mississippi by Caro Metzler


• February 28, 2017, Hollywood Reporter: The Story Behind ‘Switched at Birth’s’ Emotional Racism Episode by Kate Stanhope


• November 10, 2015, CNN: A timeline of the University of Missouri protests by Michael Pearson


• November 9, 2015, The New York Times, University of Missouri Protests Spur a Day of Change by John Eligon and Richard Pérez-Peña


• Cooper, E. (2015). “Teens win”: Purveying fantasies of effortless economic mobility and social attainment on rich teen soaps. Popular Culture, 48(4), 731-746. 


• Gordon, H. R. (2008). Gendered paths to teenage political participation: parental power, civic mobility, and youth activism. Gender & Society, 22(1), 31-55.


• Gordon, H. (2009). We fight to win: Inequality and the politics of youth activism. Ithaca, NY: Rutgers University Press.

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SUGGESTED FURTHER READING:

• Conner, J. O., Greytak, E., Evich, C. D., and Wray-Lake, L. (2023). Burnout and belonging: How the costs and benefits of youth activism affect youth health and wellbeing. Youth, 3, 127-145.


• Jenkins, H., Shresthova, S., Gamber-Thompson, L., Kligler-Vilenchik, N., & Zimmerman, A. (2018). By any media necessary: The new youth activism (Vol. 3). NYU Press. https://nyupress.org/9781479899982/by-any-media-necessary/