Now would be a good time for you to take advantage of the free 7-day trial offered by Apple TV+ so, in addition to the excellent The Morning Show, you can watch the inspiring new documentary series, Dear …
Each half hour episode of this 10-part series focuses on a beloved figure, and is framed by letters written (and read) by people whose lives have been changed because of their work.
I sobbed through the Lin-Manuel Miranda and Oprah episodes, both of whom I greatly admire and who have obviously touched the lives of millions of others. Miranda has been a real voice for immigrants and Oprah, well, she’s Oprah. What she has accomplished is truly astonishing.
I also got teary during the Gloria Steinem, Aly Raisman and Big Bird episodes, each of whom has helped so many people get through some of the most difficult times of their lives. Steinem opened the conversation about abortion, Raisman became a champion for sexual abuse survivors and Big Bird showed children how to cope with tragedy.
The ones that surprised me most were Misty Copeland and Yara Shahidi, neither of whom I knew very much about. I am now a huge fan of both of them. I will be watching performances by Copeland, the first African American Female Principal Dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, and will be supporting black-ish actress Shahidi this election year as she continues to act as the unofficial spokeswoman for Gen Z, getting out the vote and encouraging other young activists.
There were three episodes that disappointed me a little: Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder and, shockingly, Jane Goodall. I’m glad I watched them and that their work has inspired other people but they just didn’t move me as deeply. As someone who has always had a girl crush on Goodall, I think I expected more emotion from her – which may be unfair considering the serious and planet-saving work to which she’s dedicated her life.
There are some really important takeaways from Dear …, the biggest being that sharing stories is everything. People need to know that they’re not alone in their experiences or their feelings, and opening up and telling your own personal story can be life-changing. Many of these big names were blown away by the floodgates that opened when they shared, as were those who heard them and breathed a sigh of relief to learn they weren’t alone.
Their experiences prove the saying, “You can’t be it if you can’t see it.” The importance of representation can’t be underestimated. We need pop culture to feature women, people of color, minorities, immigrants in positions of authority, in jobs that traditionally belonged only to men or white people. We need family sitcoms and commercials to feature same-sex couples as naturally as they do heterosexual couples.
We also need to thank the people who do start the conversations, who do open the doors for everyone else. Each celebrity in Dear … is genuinely touched – and surprised – to hear the impact their work has had on people. This ripple effect is empowering to them, and encourages them to keep doing the work.
I know this is true because, as a writer, I just put my words down and send them out. I have no idea if anyone is reading them or if anyone cares. It always shocks me when I’m in the grocery store and someone stops me to say they took an action because of something I wrote or when someone sends me an email to let me know they took my recommend for a book or movie, and were inspired by it.
After the election, a friend who I adore but have never gotten to spend much time with, dropped a plant at my house with a letter thanking me for always speaking up and telling me that I helped her get through it all with my posts on social media and on my blog. I literally burst into tears and have kept that letter as a reminder that people are listening.
I’m planning to write a few letters of my own now, and one of them just may be to filmmaker R.J. Cutler for putting together this inspiring docuseries.
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