As the #BlackLivesMatter movement gathers steam in the wake of a slew of racially motivated shootings throughout the U.S., this hot-button topic will be making it into the upcoming season of “Degrassi: Next Class”.
The topical storyline will take place in the upcoming 500th episode of the long-running Canadian teen drama, when a number of “Degrassi” alums (a group that will unfortunately not include Drake) will return for a 35th anniversary celebration that’s disrupted by a #BlackLivesMatter protest.
“There’s a protest happening outside of the school and true to her … nature, Emma wants to join in on that protest,” Miriam McDonald, who starred as Emma Nelson on “Degrassi: The Next Generation” and returns for the 500th, tells Canadian Press.
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“I don’t think we’ve ever really covered racism in this way, especially because it’s not someone blatantly being racist because they know they’re being racist,” adds “Degrassi: Next Class” star Sara Waisglass.
“My character just doesn’t understand that her act is racist and that’s, I think, a really cool way to tell a story — a villain who doesn’t know she’s a villain. She learns through her best friend, which is also so important, because it shows that whole putting-yourself-in-other-people’s-shoes (idea), which is also a main theme.”
The second season of “Degrassi: Next Class” premieres Tuesday, July 19 on Family Channel.
