America is embracing new dawn after the four-year darkness that was Donald John Trump. The Disney+ series, Diary of a Future President has become relevant now that Kamala Harris is Vice President…
As America breathes a sigh of relief, an unexpected source has inspired this post. Yes, we might be run by an Australian, but we support our overseas neighbours. Last year, streaming platform Disney+ dropped a series called Diary of a Future President. The series is executive produced by Jane the Virgin star, Gina Rodriguez who appeared and directed the first episode.
The reason we mention the series is because of how relevant the show has come to show little girls of America that it is possible to become President of the United States. Kamala Harris, a now-former Senator from California is now Vice President of the United States. There was also a special message conveyed by VP Harris when she and POTUS Biden won.
America has faced a lot of change over a decade and a half. In 2008, history was made when Barack Obama became the first black president. A new era has begun just on the last day with former Vice President Biden’s presidential administration having the first African-American and Asian-American female Vice President with Kamala Harris.
Kamala’s role as Vice President proves how vital it is to allow change within American politics and the political arena worldwide. One example of this is how Jacinda Ardern serves as the Prime Minister of New Zealand. This goes to prove that it is no longer a boy’s game and women are just as important.
This is where Diary of a Future President comes in.
Dear Diary…
The concept for Diary of a Future President is an interesting one because it can relate to Kamala’s story too. At the beginning of the first episode, we meet the newly elected president, Elena Cañero-Reed who is sent her old middle-school diary from her mother. The reason is to remind her how she ended up in the White House.
Having a diary full of memories is a great way to remind us how we evolve into the human beings we are now. While we doubt Kamala was given an old memento, she does speak from the heart and never takes her humble beginnings for granted.
In the first episode of the series, we meet Elena’s widowed mother, Gabi as well as her older brother, Bobby. She also introduces us to Sasha, her best friend. The concept of bad friends is explored with these two BFFs.
Kamala was raised primarily by her mother alongside her younger sister, Maya after their parents divorced. She was also the first woman of colour to occupy one of the two highest offices of American politics. As stated earlier, VP Harris is African-American and Asia-American in descent.
In Diary of a Future President, Elena is Cuban-American.
Kamala has accomplished much prior to her election as the Vice President of the United States. She was the first person of colour to be elected as the District Attorney of San Francisco.
How The Series Covers Sexual Orientation
Aside from the importance of having a person of colour in the White House, Diary of a Future President also dives into another topic; sexual orientation. Elena’s brother, Bobby struggles through the first season with his sexuality. So does their mother’s best friend Camila who can’t bring herself to tell her parents she’s gay and that she has a girlfriend.
It’s obvious from the get-go that Gabi knows about Camila being gay. However, she doesn’t know about the possibility of Bobby being bisexual. The series does its part of explore the issue without over-saturating the story. This is what makes the idea so effective. It shows and doesn’t do too much telling.
Dealing With The Parent Dating
The series also talks about single parents dating and how the kids react. Diary of a Future President showcases this very concept by throwing us into the deep end from the beginning. When we see Gabi and her boyfriend Sam at work, it’s obvious they’re together.
When Bobby arrives home unexpectedly having forgotten his bag of pennies, he learns of the relationship the hard way. So does Elena. The siblings have different reaction to each other.
Bobby is very accepting on Sam. Meanwhile, Elena struggles with the idea of their mother’s boyfriend could potentially become their stepfather. This is what Gabi ultimately fears and in a rush says that she’s not trying to replace their dad.
Jumping back to Kamala, she mentioned a while ago that she knew what it was like to have a parent date someone else as she was a child of divorce herself. This was mentioned in the essay she wrote for Elle about becoming ‘Momala’ to her stepchildren, Cole and Ella. She said that she and her now-husband, Doug discussed how she was going to meet the kids. Moreover, she said she and Doug decided to wait before she met them because she didn’t want to be a fixture in their lives and then things didn’t work out.
Back to the show, Elena is not happy when Sam suddenly starts taking over some of her tasks like breakfast. It becomes too much for her and tries to take a half-eaten box of donuts back to the shop she bought them from. As funny as this was, it also goes to show how terrifying it would’ve been for her to have to face the situation where another man could become a father-figure to her and Bobby.
Over time however, Elena and Sam start to bond.
