With ‘The Afternoon Show,’ girls can express ourselves, raise awareness about issues — and laugh
(Courtesy of McKinley Tretler / Malala Fund)
Whenever the girls of “The Afternoon Show” — a digital show from girls of the Lower East Side Girls Club — come together, we gather with the intent of creating a show that unites, entertains and informs. “The Afternoon Show” is a platform for girls to express ourselves creatively while also learning about the process of creating a television show. It is a cultivation of everything relevant to us: giving girls a voice and creating fun projects about things we're passionate about.
Each episode of “The Afternoon Show” requires a lot of collaboration. Before the first episode, we collectively decided what we wanted to include in our show. Our show would consist of a few guests who inspire us and are doing impactful work, comedy about current events and segments that captured our personalities and friendship. Then we created our episodes by deciding what guests we wanted to feature, what news we felt could use positivity and what fun games and activities we could do with each other and the guests.
A really important part of creating our show is using the connections we have with artists and activists, some who participated in past Girls Club events or we found through Instagram. Our amazing teachers from the program, Kelly Webb and Kelly Adams, used their connections to reach out to reporters from the news organization NowThis to help us decide what news was important to us and how we could convey it in our show. For the activities, we take inspiration from other shows or come up with games that we think could take our guests out of their comfort zone and make them laugh a little.
Before “The Afternoon Show,” it was difficult to envision myself in such a prominent position, taking the lead and being a creator. I’m one of many girls who grew up thinking that there were jobs designated for men and different ones designated for women. There were also very few jobs where I saw women represented, especially women of color, so it was challenging to think otherwise.
“Before ‘The Afternoon Show,’ it was difficult to envision myself in such a prominent position, taking the lead and being a creator. I’m one of many girls who grew up thinking that there were jobs designated for men and different ones designated for women.”
In June 2019, the Lower East Side Girls Club arranged for us to take a trip to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The visit inspired me to create content that reflects what is important to me and showed me examples of successful female creators. I went behind the scenes of the show and learned about each team, including those behind the comedy, those who booked the guests, those behind the intricate movement of the cameras and more. I was especially inspired by the women who worked at “The Late Show” and how they created a show that made me laugh in a political climate dominated by negativity and hate. They taught me that working with other women and having a positive, creative outlook could help create a fantastic show that encompasses what is important, relevant and fun.
Since I've started working on “The Afternoon Show,” I've been behind the camera, worked on computer editing and sat with inspiring figures, talking about everything from how to organize and protest in my community to how to take care of my curly hair. Most importantly, I’ve been able to set the basis for a program that will teach other girls that they can dominate professions even if they don’t see themselves represented in them.
Hailey, Elsa and Paradise on set. (Courtesy of McKinley Tretler / Malala Fund)
A large part of creating “The Afternoon Show” is having conversations with people who are actively changing the world and inspiring other girls. Some recent guests included Matthew Cherry, who wrote and directed the Academy Award-winning animated short film “Hair Love.” We discussed the importance of programs for the youth, making career switches and more. I also got the chance to interview Dalaeja Foreman, an artist and activist from Brooklyn who works around community preservation and social justice. She helped us understand the cultural impact of gentrification in our city and our role as young people in a changing city. Having meaningful discussions with so many influential people who are making change has changed my worldview and shown me that I don't need to be famous or well known to advocate for things I'm passionate about. It just takes enthusiasm and support.
Working with a group of girls, I've used entertainment as a platform to express my interests and dedication to advocacy and change. Although I love to engage in social justice and keeping myself informed, the term “activist” has always been abstract and complex to me. With this show, however, I’ve been exposed to different forms of activism that are not widely represented. And I’ve learned there are many ways to engage on the issues I care about using resources I have access to, like the Girls Club. For example, around the time I got to interview Dalaeja, the public transportation system’s fare evasion policing was drawing attention for being brutal and disproportionately affecting minorities. During our conversation, we both got to openly discuss the various ways policing in our city affects certain communities and how being vocal about it can promote change.
Before “The Afternoon Show,” it was difficult for me to understand how a television program could bring awareness to important issues or be informative while remaining centered around girls and laughter. It was also hard for me to understand the beauty and significance of something created solely by young girls. Since many of us didn’t see women that looked like us in fields we were interested in or know that we could branch out, we create this show with the hope that other young girls see it and know that there is no limit to what they can do.
“Although all of us are girls of color, we all have distinct viewpoints and ideas, which make for a really impactful show because it encompasses all of these ideas.”
To decide on the content of each episode of our show, we all sit together and discuss things that are important to us. Coming together weekly with an all-girl production team has given me unique perspective on teamwork. One thing I’ve learned from them is the importance of creative expression. The girls I work with are gifted in many different ways, from managing our large group (plus guests) during production, creating art for the show, being charismatic during interviews or writing really funny jokes. One of our main goals for the show is that all of our talents are showcased and our unique personalities almost ensure that always happens. I've gotten a lot closer with my “Afternoon Show” girls and have learned things from them that I will apply to everything I do. Although all of us are girls of color, we all have distinct viewpoints and ideas, which make for a really impactful show because it encompasses all of these ideas.
I hope that this show inspires other girls to express their passion through digital media. As we become more dependent on social media and technology for news and entertainment, it's important that we continue promoting representation and highlight women being creative on these platforms. Looking to the future of “The Afternoon Show,” I want to pass on a program to the younger members of the Girls Club and even girls from different organizations that will create long-lasting friendships, vocality and a passion for advocacy — just like we have.
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