When the trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid was released in September, heartwarming reaction videos showing Black children overjoyed to see Ariel played by a Black actress spread across the internet. The star, Halle Bailey, even tweeted a compilation of the videos and said their reactions “mean the world to me.”  Representation in the media matters to how all people, especially children, see themselves and their place in the world. And, unlike the trend-focused cycles of social media, which fixate on isolated events like Bailey’s casting, establishing full representation in entertainment is a continuous effort against racist backlash and content with the status quo.

I was 15 when my parents divorced. Divorce can have long-lasting impacts on adults and children alike, but my family grew accustomed to many of them. My brother and I acclimated to moving back and forth across town each week. My parents learned how to fill the nights they weren’t caring for their children. A few weeks ago, my brother began college, and with us out of the house, it seemed like the last daily reminders of the divorce had faded from our lives.