Notes from Susan: Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner

Notes from Susan: Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner

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Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner

By Susan MacLaury

Growing up, my favorite TV show was a series called “Father Knows Best” about the Anderson family, who demonstrated weekly that parental interest, sensitivity, and humor could help kids resolve any issues. Decades later, the non-profit I head Shine Global, has been excited to co-produce “Onyx Family Dinner,” an 8-part series featuring parents Rita and Mirthell and their teenage children Shasha, Sinaead, Shalom and Shiloh. At the Onyx dinner table, feelings are spoken and there are no wrong feelings. And unlike the sitcoms of my childhood, these family conversations promote collective sharing of deeper concerns. Everyone feels supported in this kind of family environment.

My own upbringing had been disrupted by my father’s death when I was five. Soon after my stepfather entered, a good man with a bad drinking problem. Far from the closeness of the Onyx family dinners, ours deteriorated predictably every night. Our dinner table wasn’t a safe space to talk about our days’ experiences or to voice our opinions without the risk of personal attack. We lacked a coherent family identity and eventually my siblings and I experienced serious bouts of anxiety as we entered adolescence.

We were apparently in good company. According to the Pew Research Center, the number one problem faced by kids is anxiety, which has increased by more than 20% in the past 15 years, followed by depression, drugs and alcohol, and bullying (including cyberbullying). When we then consider the added impact of COVID-19 on families’ wellbeing – the social and financial deprivation it’s caused coupled with the fact that many adults and kids have met social isolation with increased use of personal technology – the rise in anxiety is understandable.

For more than 40 years, I worked in prevention as a social worker, therapist, and college health education professor, all of which taught me to appreciate the potential of family support for kids’ physical, emotional and social growth. During much of this time, I focused my attention on the positive influence of group support on middle and high school students. I authored a book on advisory groups and collaborated with 12 public schools in New York City and Newark, NJ to create or build their existing programs. Often called “family groups,” these sought to replicate positive family experiences by providing students the chance to explore their personal feelings and social interactions in a safe, confidential environment led by teachers, counselors, and other school staff who were trained and supervised weekly in group development.

My belief in the power of kids’ resilience and the importance of families in developing it also led me to co-found Shine Global in 2005 with my husband, Albie Hecht. In the past 16 years we’ve made 15 films and digital series about underserved children and families who model resilience and hope. These films have aired in more than 50 countries and have been used by schools, after-school programs, and families to start discussions and inspire action.

We’ve worked with many different types of families across the globe and every family has its own set of rules. Imagine if we set the expectation that eating dinner together, at least three nights a week, was a rule and no, phones are not allowed. It’s necessary for us all to have a chance to talk about our triumphs and defeats, explore the problems we face and seek advice on how best to deal with them. Over the past 30 years, many research studies have underscored the benefits of sitting down to dinner at least a few times weekly with family. Pre-teens particularly benefit from eating more nutritionally, decreasing their likelihood of developing eating disorders. They generally experience fewer behavioral problems and achieve increased literacy. These results in turn are linked to reduced rates of depression, suicide, drug abuse, and early sexual activity among teens, and achieving better grades in school overall.

Watching the Onyx Family confirms how precious a resource a loving family – however one’s family is defined – is in enabling its members to feel confident about their loveability and competence. Rita and Mirthel are strong, smart, loving parents who genuinely listen to and learn from their children. Their family embodies an essential balance between privacy and openness to positive outside influences as needed to educate and support its members. The latter is essential because any family can find itself confronting new and difficult problems and need outside help addressing them.

In these days of increasing anxiety, all of us could use the support and comfort of regular dinners with our loved ones, be they families of origin or those families we’ve created.

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.
The Onyx Family Dinner is produced in association with Shine Global.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Download Companion Discussion Guide

Shine Global offers a free, downloadable family discussion tip guide as a resource for families.

Notes from Susan: Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner

Free Companion Discussion Guide For Onyx Family Dinner Series

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Free Companion Discussion Guide For Onyx Family Dinner Series

Shine Global is pleased to offer this free companion family discussion tip guide to the “Onyx Family Dinner” YouTube series for families to download.  The series is now available to watch on YouTube – with new episodes premiering Thursdays.

Family dinner conversations offer many benefits, ranging from family bonding and building vocabulary, to fostering healthy eating habits for all ages. Whether you’re celebrating or tackling a difficult issue, the Onyx Family Dinner will serve as a model to families on how to initiate and guide discussions that will help all members of your family to support each other – and Shine Global’s free, downloadable family discussion tip guide will serve as an additional resource for families.

“Onyx Family Dinner” follows the Onyx family, a warm, creative and supportive Black family with a robust fanbase (more than 7 million subscribers across their YouTube channels) as they share their passion for learning about the world and encouraging families to engage with each other. A seat at the dinner table with dad Mirthell, mom Rita and kids Shalom, Sinead, Shasha and Shiloh, brings meaningful discussions about what’s going on in their lives and important topics such as mental health, school curriculum bias, Black hair and hair discrimination, social activism in sports, urban gardening and sustainability, body positivity and self-esteem and how to be a changemaker. The series’ diverse roster of dinner guests including former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, fashion influencer Kellie Brown, mental health advocate Diana Chao, activist and founder of Youth Advocates for Change Tiana Day, student and hair discrimination activist Faith Fennidy, fashion designer and urban gardener Ron Finley, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Emmy Award-winning sports journalist Jemele Hill who help broaden the conversation by offering different perspectives, interesting stories and valuable insight.

*You can download free curricula for Shine Global’s other films here.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

“Onyx Family Dinner” Premieres November 4th on YouTube

“Onyx Family Dinner” Premieres November 4th on YouTube

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“Onyx Family Dinner” Premieres November 4th on YouTube

Emmanuel Acho, Kellie Brown, Diana Chao, Tiana Day, Faith Fennidy, Ron Finley, Nikole Hannah-Jones, And Jemele Hill Come To Dinner For Compelling Conversation

Pocket.watch’s Onyx Family Dinner, produced in association with Shine Global, will begin airing on November 4 on the official Onyx Family Youtube Channel, and joins a slate of shows focused on elevating Black voices.

YouTube Originals, in partnership with pocket.watch, today released the official trailer for “Onyx Family Dinner” – a new eight-episode series from the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund that gathers the multi-generational family from the incredibly popular Onyx Family YouTube channel, for plenty of fun and open conversations about life and what’s going on in the world over dinner. Weekly guests broaden the conversation with different perspectives, thought provoking stories, subject matter expertise and valuable insights. This “dinner party” made for families debuts November 4 at 9am PT / 12pm ET on the official Onyx Family YouTube channel and the YouTube Kids app. The premiere episode features former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, host of the Emmy Award-winning “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” who will have a conversation with the Onyx family about discussing race with their friends.

“Onyx Family Dinner” follows the Onyx family, a warm, creative and supportive Black family with a robust fanbase (more than 7 million subscribers across their YouTube channels) as they share their passion for learning about the world and encouraging families to engage with each other. A seat at the dinner table with dad Mirthell, mom Rita and kids Shalom, Sinead, Shasha and Shiloh, brings meaningful discussions about what’s going on in their lives and important topics such as mental health, school curriculum bias, Black hair and hair discrimination, social activism in sports, urban gardening and sustainability, body positivity and self-esteem and how to be a changemaker.

The series’ diverse roster of dinner guests including former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, fashion influencer Kellie Brown, mental health advocate Diana Chao, activist and founder of Youth Advocates for Change Tiana Day, student and hair discrimination activist Faith Fennidy, fashion designer and urban gardener Ron Finley, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Emmy Award-winning sports journalist Jemele Hill who help broaden the conversation by offering different perspectives, interesting stories and valuable insight.

“Onyx Family Dinner” is produced by pocket.watch in association with Shine Global and executive produced by Keith Brown, Albie Hecht, the Onyx Family and Chris M. Williams. Susanne Daniels is Global Head of Original Content for YouTube. Nadine Zylstra serves as Head of Family, Learning and Impact for YouTube Originals. Amina Wilson and Daniel Haack oversee “Onyx Family Dinner” for YouTube Originals.


Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change. Our films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente, an Academy Award®-nomination for War/Dance, and a Webby-nomination for The Election Effect digital series.

YouTube Unveils “Onyx Family Dinner” as Part of Black Voices Slate

YouTube Unveils “Onyx Family Dinner” as Part of Black Voices Slate

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YouTube Unveils “Onyx Family Dinner” as Part of Black Voices Slate

The Onyx Family of 6

Pocket.watch’s Onyx Family Dinner, produced in association with Shine Global, will begin airing in 2021, and joins a slate of shows focused on elevating Black voices.

Join the Onyx Family for the dinner table conversation you wish your family had! This new Kids & Families series gathers the multi-generational family for plenty of fun and open conversations about life and what’s going on in the world over dinner. Weekly dinner guests broaden the conversation with different perspectives, thought provoking stories, subject matter expertise and valuable insights. Produced by pocket.watch in association with Shine Global, “Onyx Family Dinner” stars the Onyx Family and is executive produced by Keith Brown, Albie Hecht, the Onyx Family, and Chris M.Williams.

In the wake of massive protests for racial justice in 2020, YouTube announced a $100 million fund to amplify Black voices and perspectives on the platform. Now officially named the “#YouTubeBlack Voices Fund,” over the next three years they plan to “present fresh narratives that emphasize the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity and joy of Black voices, as well as to educate audiences about racial justice.”

Shine Global is proud to be a part of this work and bringing the Onyx Family Dinner to viewers across the US and around the world and we can’t wait to share the first episode in 2021.


Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change. Our films have won more than 80 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente, an Academy Award®-nomination for War/Dance, and a Webby-nomination for The Election Effect digital series.