On one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most recent episodes, the writers tackled the issue of domestic violence. The theme of the episode had been going on for a while. One of the main characters had been in an abusive marriage. She left him, changed her name, and never saw him again.
Until he showed up unexpectedly. The episode, titled with the phone number for the domestic abuse hotline, was advertised with this huge theme of standing up for domestic violence. Before watching the episode, you knew what was going to come. You knew that the cast was going to bring to light this big issue in our society.
They did an excellent job with it. But, the episode had a whole other message to it as well, one that is equally important: racism.
One of the wonderful things about Grey’s Anatomy is that the cast is actually real. There’s a wonderful mix of men and women of all races and all sizes. It’s not far-fetched that this groundbreaking show would tackle a topic like racism. But, they don’t do it in an “ordinary” way that is typically done on television.
The writers pulled a theme straight from the headlines: police discrimination against people of color. This is something we hear about all the time in the news. As sick as it sounds, we’re probably immune to it all by now because it happens so much.
Showcasing the whole story through this episode allowed the message to really sink in. If you haven’t seen the episode, let me recap it for you:
A 12-year-old black boy is brought to the ER with a gunshot wound. He is accompanied by 2 policemen and the boy is handcuffed to the gurney. The boy had left for school, but realized he forgot something at home. He had also misplaced his house key, so he decided to climb in through the window. The police saw him, assumed he was an intruder, and shot him.
When the parents of the young boy arrive, they bring with them his two younger siblings. The parents are dressed in very nice professional clothing, much to the shock of the police officers.
Despite the efforts of the surgeons, the young boy dies.
Let that sink in. A young boy that was only trying to get into his own house is shot and killed by a police officer. It’s heartbreaking.
If you’re thinking: who cares, it’s just a TV show – you’re wrong. This is real and this is happening too often.
Just when you think that this is sad enough, something even more heart wrenching happens. One of the main characters (a black woman) that operated on the young boy has a son of her own of the same age. She decides that it’s time to have “the talk” with him.
But, it’s not the talk you’re thinking of. She sits him down and walks through what he needs to say and do if he ever comes into contact with a police officer.
This young boy has his hands over his hand and states a dialogue she taught him. She tells him that no matter what his white friends are saying or doing (ie: joking with the officers), he cannot do that. Her husband tells him that he should never, under any circumstances, run away from a police officer.
In this moment, you can see the innocence leave this child. This innocent young boy has to be taught how to act simply because of the color he was born having. Not all children have to go through this.
As a new mother, I sat and watched this and thought of my own son. I thought of how heartbroken I would be to have to have a similar conversation with him. If you’re a parent, you can only imagine how that must feel.
I commend Grey’s Anatomy for taking this serious issue and displaying it for us to see. It’s a powerful message and it’s one that cannot go overlooked. On television, racism is addressed, sure. But I, for one, have not seen it be done to this capacity.
Whether you have seen the show or not, I highly recommend watching this episode. It will leave you angry with the world and ignite a flame in you to do whatever you can to put a stop racism with whatever power you have, no matter how small.
