BLOG: We Need "Ghostwriter" Now More Than Ever

One of my favorite shows growing up in the '90s was 'Ghostwriter.' Airing just as school let out at 3 p.m. it was something I looked forward to everyday. Tuning in to the group of five junior high teens from Brooklyn, New York attempt to a five-arc mystery case with the help of their friend Ghostwriter, who was invisible to everyone but them. It was a great show, I even got a classmate hooked on the PBS show - he made his own Ghostwriter pen. 

Well, right now we could use some re-runs of "Ghostwriter." First off, the Ghostwriter Team is very diverse. Made up of an African-American (Jamal, the one who started the whole thing), Asian-American (Tina, who is first generation American with parents from Vietnam), two latinx siblings (Alex and Gaby, who like Tina are both first generation American's with the parents immigrating from El Salvador) and one caucasian American (Lenny). Later, the team would grow to include another character from Latin America (Hector), another African-American (Casey, Jamal's cousin) and one more white character (Rob). The diversity on the show is crucial. 

The final story arc of season one "Building Bridges" bears striking resemblance to the tough times we are facing today in regards to racial injustice. The arc begins with Lenny and Alex waiting for a fellow classmate (non-Ghostwriter team member) to work on their preparation for the school's annual talent show. But when their classmate arrives, both Lenny and Alex learn, to their horror, their classmate was mugged by a new street gang that moved into town. 

The entire arc revolved around the violence and hate that was growing on the streets. Each member of the the team dealt with some form violence or racial hatred in some form or another. But Rob was the one most affected.

Writing a story on the school's track team, Rob befriended one of the top runner's on the team, Victor Torres, who had just transferred and was an ex-gang member. The pair were walking home when they run into Victor's former gang, the Thunderheads, and the leader called Rob a "white boy." It shook Rob, as he never experienced that before, so he went and talked with Jamal, who recalled the time he encountered racial hatred. 

It wasn't the last time in the arc Rob would feel conflicted. The son of a military father, he was constantly moving around and never had time to make many friends. All he wanted to do was make friends, he didn't want to hate anyone or be hated himself - which he felt when he was beat up by the Thunderheads trying to look for Victor and stumbled into their hangout. 

On top of all this, the school was ready to cancel the talent show because of all the violence in the neighborhood and the school. (The school was being vandalized by what was thought to be the Thunderheads, but was actually a current student who was angry at Victor for supplanting him as the anchor on the relay team.) The talent show committee persuaded the school administration to keep the show and re-named it to "A Community Jam Against Violence." 

There's so many striking similarities to today. The cancel culture has become the most prevalent today - mainly because of COVID-19, but the racial tension only adds to it. Instead, of being quick to pull the trigger and cancel something, think about positive alternatives that can be done safely that will bring people together. It is what Lenny and Alex did with their talent show, turning it into a forum against violence. 

We need "Ghostwriter" now more than ever. 

Watch "Ghostwriter: Building Bridges" - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4