Grown-ish "Safe Spaces" Review

In today’s society, safe spaces are a common topic of discussion. Many college campuses have some version of a safe space for minority groups. In the episode “Safe and Sound” of the show Grown-ish, they tackle this difficult subject. There is a group of students of color that have a safe space in Hawkins hall. When a white student reported that they felt unsafe at one of their parties, the school threatens to shut down Hawkins hall. This leads the students of color to organize a protest. In the process, there is more talk about different groups on campus and whether they should have a safe space of not. This episode does a good job covering the topic of safe spaces, but two aspects need to be expanded on: exclusion of groups and being too comfortable.

One of the issues that arises from this organized protest is the idea that some students are not allowed to have a safe space. One student, Ana Torres wants to create a group for conservative women, but Aaron Jackson says that it is unnecessary. This occurs a lot with women’s centers on college campuses. Often women are not seen as the minority on campus because of numbers but based on resources and power they are. One of the girls, Zoey, stated that “unless everyone has a voice, no one has a voice.” This could not be truer, so the idea that certain populations should not have the freedom to have a safe space defeats the idea of inclusion all together. It is important for groups to have the ability to escape discrimination for their mental and physical health.

On the other hand, sometimes people become too comfortable with like-minded individuals. The episode briefly mentions that sometimes we need to be uncomfortable in order to truly experience the world. This is a key component to life. According to Ana Torres, “Minorities need a place where you can go to just be yourself.” This is important, but sometimes it takes stepping outside of your comfort zone for things to change in the world. It is important for different minority groups to be able to collaborate to change societal norms. So, there is a balance of comfort that needs to be achieved in order for these groups to be successful.

Overall, this episode does a great job at tackling the topic of safe spaces, but it is hard to encompass the entirety of the topic in a 20-minute episode. Because of this there were a few things that could be expanded on including inclusion of all groups on campus and being too comfortable. However, this does open the conversation. The reality of what it is like to be on a college campus is portrayed accurately and these issues of discrimination are relevant. Because of these reasons, safe spaces for all should be a priority on college campuses.

Word Count: 480

Work Cited

"Safe and Sound." Grown-ish, season 1, episode 11, Freeform, 14 Mar. 2018. Hulu, https://www.hulu.com/watch/e3489fbe-a16d-4074-8b73-bab1daaa7562