A Show of One's Own

LaShannon White has a simple theory on why teenagers get into trouble. She says it’s because adults don’t listen, and teens don’t get to voice their opinions.

This theory inspired her to create “It’s Me,” a half-hour teen-oriented TV talk show broadcast every other Saturday afternoon on Media One Cable 12 in Atlanta. Cable 12 is a public access station that allows citizens to create their own public affairs programs. Television was a natural medium for the project because it’s the chief source of information for most people, she said.

White developed the idea for a show for and by young people after trying to work on another show. “I gave it all I had in me and was pushed aside. I was looked at as a young person who didn’t know what she was doing,” she said. She recognized a typical attitude. “Young people are always told what to do,” said White. “I remember as a young person, no one ever asked what I thought about anything. I had an opinion, and no one wanted to hear it.”

On “It’s Me,” the participants, including the guest speakers, are all young. In the year and half since the show began, it has become a platform for young people to express their opinions and ideas and talk about what’s important to them. The young viewers see someone like themselves on the show rather than an adult who might talk down to them, said White’s partner and co-producer, Rah Raheem Eligha Muhammid. “Nothing against Ricki Lake and nothing against Tempest, but they don’t begin to touch the surface,” said Muhammid.

As producers White, 25, and Muhammid, 29, said they’re careful about how much they control the show. “We can relate to [the teens] because we grew up in the hip-hop era, but we want to be a mediator,” said Muhammid. The show “is a forum for them to come together and come up with solutions.”

The mentoring role seems to work. “I’m in this universe for young people,” White said. “I get down on their level, and we talk about different things. Kids are in my office all the time.”

“[Teens] talk to me and respect me because I respect them,” said Muhammid.

Young people probably gravitate to the producers because these young adults can relate to many problems teens face. White’s mother was a single parent who wasn’t always able to give her the attention she wanted. “My mother struggled to raise me. I would play sick to get attention from her,” she said. She thinks this was one reason she started hanging out with the wrong crowd and got into trouble as a teenager. She even wound up on juvenile probation.

With support from her godparents and mentors at a local organization, White was able to turn her life around. She now sees herself as a mentor to younger people. “Our elders should be more like advisors than dictators,” she said. “I want to give [teens] what somebody gave me — and that is, a chance.”

Not Like Oprah

To appear on “It’s Me,” applicants fill out a questionnaire, write a short autobiography, and explain why they want to be involved and how they can contribute. This, said White, helps her see how they’re thinking and what they can do.

Young people are involved in the production from start to finish, including selection of the show’s topic. At Sunday planning meetings, which often evolve into group counseling sessions, said White, the group looks at “what’s hot” in the mainstream press and how the issues affect young people. After choosing a topic, the teens do the research and find appropriate guests. They produce and write segments for the program and even operate the cameras.

Although the show is often taped in the studio, White said the producers like to shoot on location. One show was taped in a park, and the group had a picnic. In addition to serious discussions, the show often features live music.

Guests and participants talk about issues in an open, “roundtable” format that allows for free discussion, White said, “not like on ‘Oprah.’” In the opening segment, the guest speaker and the dozen or so teens who regularly appear on the show discuss positive aspects of the issue at hand and possible solutions to problems. In the second segment, the guests, usually specialists in some aspect of the issue, expand on their experiences. The last segment is a question-and-answer session.

A recent show focused on gangs. Community leaders working to end gang violence appeared on the show and talked about gang life and the often violent consequences of being involved. The show ended up focusing on how young people can lead more positive lives by finding alternatives to gangs. Such a format helps young viewers understand that, “It’s not where you came from, but what you’re doing now” that counts, said White.

The emphasis on helping teens find their own positive alternatives to their problems is what drives “It’s Me.” “We’re not always able to solve the problems, but we do talk about alternatives,” said White. And the producers can help. “If there is a communication breakdown with youth and parents, we can put them in touch with an agency that can help them.”

Troublemakers or Class Clowns

The teens on “It’s Me” come from the Atlanta area and are mostly from low-income families, said White. The producers especially encourage participation from teens who are labeled troublemakers or class clowns or are victims of abuse. Many of these adolescents are told that they aren’t doing anything with their lives and will never amount to anything, White said. She thinks they just need to be heard and understood.

White noticed a remarkable change in one young boy as a result of his involvement with the show. Delante, 13, lives in an Atlanta housing project. He was one of White’s students at the New Horizons Development Center where she teaches. She said that she had promised to be in his life always. She lost contact with him, however, when he was suspended from school. When she and Muhammid found him at his home, they encouraged him to join the show.

White described Delante as an intelligent child but not a vocal one. Through his involvement with “It’s Me,” he learned to voice the opinions that had been there all along, said White, and he cultivated greater self-esteem. White and Muhammid said Delante “changed his life and way of thinking.” He returned to school, and his grades improved in a few weeks.

In addition to giving teenagers a forum for discussing issues and gaining self-esteem, “It’s Me” also introduces the participants to the world of broadcasting and opens possible career avenues. Participants have gone on to explore videography, acting, and musical careers. Kawanna Eddins has worked on the show for two years, and has become a communications major at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. “It’s Me” has “helped me to focus,” she said. White also has a degree in communications from Morris Brown.

Although the show airs only in Atlanta, White said she hopes it will be syndicated nationally and abroad. Her production company, Sister Friend Productions, also handles advertising and promotions and provides counseling and speaking classes. White and Muhammid spend much of their personal time and money to produce the show, and equipment is limited, they said. As the show evolves, they are seeking additional funding.

While the producers of “It’s Me” take pride in providing a forum for young people to address troubles in their lives, they said teens should take it upon themselves to strive to be their personal best. “They have to begin to believe in themselves, and there has to be someone who would make an impact [on their lives],” said White. “I have to make an impact, or I’ve failed.”