Source: Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images / Getty
From social media fame to Philly’s City Council, what won’t Quinta be celebrated for?
Last week, West Philadelphia’s own Quinta Brunson was honored by the City Council of Philadelphia for her work on ABC’s Abbott Elementary. The honors were first brought up by Philly Councilmember At Large, Helen Gym.
Councilmember Gym passed the resolution on January 27th, a month removed from Abbott Elementary’s premiere.
Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary style sitcom that focuses on the joys and struggles of being a public school teacher.
More specifically, being a public school teacher within a large and major metropolitan area.
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Writer, producer, creator and actor Quinta Brunson is the daughter of a kindergarten teacher in real life.
Quinta’s mother taught and raised her in Harrity Elementary, which was also the original name for the show. From that time of being a student and daughter at the school, Quinta understood what effort went into being a teacher. Her mother gave her the understanding of the funding obstacles that Philadelphia schools face. Quinta learned that it takes a village to help the students, support staff and teachers overcome obstacles in order to create special learning communities.
Clearly, former educator Helen Gym and Philadelphia’s City Council recognize that.
The resolution even states the facts of these struggles.
District schools have multi-year maintenance backlogs and an estimated $5 billion need for repairs and replacements.
The staffing challenges depicted on the show are major issues. New teacher certifications in Pennsylvania have plummeted to less than a third of what they were 10 years ago and there remains an urgent need for more Black teachers in Philadelphia and across the Commonwealth.
Though Black students comprise over 50% of the student body in the School District of Philadelphia, only 25% of District teachers in Philadelphia are Black. Research has shown exposure to Black teachers has significant benefits for Black students and leads to improved academic outcomes, including an increased likelihood of college enrollment.
With the casting of her fellow educators, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter and Chris Perfetti, the show presents the entirety of the push and pull teachers face. As Janelle James makes poor decisions as the ever so irresponsible principal of the Abbott, you cannot go without chuckling at the nonsense that goes on within school systems.
In the resolution, City Council promises to continue to its support for schools from a local to federal level. With the help of President Biden’s s Build Back Better Act and Pennsylvania’s American Rescue Plan Act, City Council wants to help see the flourishing of Philadelphia’s schools in regards to better funding and budget decisions.
Council also stands in strong support of Pennsylvania’s ongoing lawsuit for constitutional school funding, a trial which has shed light on the inequities and inadequacies of a system that gives schools like those portrayed in Abbott Elementary so much less than their wealthier suburban counterparts.
The show has already provided a shift within the television game.
In a recent ratings report, Quinta’s show had become ABC’s first comedy to quadruple its ratings since the premiere in December 2020. After 35 days of viewing across ABC’s linear and digital platforms, the series premiere shot up 300% in the demo for a 2.4 rating and 7.1 million total viewers. It really goes to show that word of mouth can really bring anything to another level. The show even promoted itself throughout multiple cities in a positive manner.
Handing out free school supplies and earning honors from your hometown could beginning of the positive potential of Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary.
Quinta has been on a roll of success since the debut of her web-series The Girl Who’s Never Been On A Nice Date back in 2014.
It can only get better from here.
Quinta Brunson – The Girl Who’s Never Been On A Date (Part 1)
