(UPDATE WITH MORE SERIES JOINING THE CHALLENGE) As more and more writers rooms from across the Big 4, cable and streaming take on the challenge from Vida and One Day at a Time to stop children being ripped apart from their families at the southern border, the home of the Tanya Saracho-run East LA drama has put its money where its heart is.
The day after Donald Trump begrudgingly signed an executive order that sort of stops any more kids and babies being snatched away from their parents and placed in cages or hidden homes across the country, Starz backed up Saracho, Vida and the efforts of an immigrant Lone Star State non-profit:
The #OneVidaAtATime initiative has united our STARZ family and our community. We stand with our writers & creators and their efforts to #KeepFamiliesTogether and proudly support them with a contribution of $10,000 to @raicestexas. pic.twitter.com/4jkWyGBnMB
— STARZ (@STARZ) June 21, 2018
This donation by the Chris Albrecht-run and Lionsgate-owned premium cabler came on the same day that Melania Trump headed off to Texas detention centers for photo ops wearing a jacket that kicked arrested parents and their children in the teeth with its “I really don’t care. Do U?” on the back.
Displaying the usual lack of empathy, honesty and ability to keep their story straight that we’ve come to expect from the former Celebrity Apprentice host and gang, FLOTUS’ team first insisted that the Zara jacket had “no hidden message.” However, after the ex-model arrived back in D.C. on Thursday afternoon, things got ever more toxic when her husband declared online that the jacket message was a swing at “the Fake News Media.”
As that latest White House sideshow was going on, President Trump earlier today walked back big chunks of the foundations underpinning his executive order of June 20. On the flip side, with zero plans by the administration to unite the over 2,300 children who have already been taken from their families under the recent Zero Tolerance illegal immigration and asylum policy, the #OneVidaAtATime challenge the Netflix and Starz series instituted on June 19 grew even more with This Is Us, a plethora of other NBC series and fellow streaming series joining the likes of The Handmaid’s Tale, Jane The Virgin, Riverdale and Counterpart:
We accept the #OneVidaAtATimeChallenge. Separating vulnerable families is cruel and inhuman. We will be donating to @RAICESTEXAS to #endfamilyseparation and challenge @blackishwriters to do the same. Thanks to @VidaWriters & @ODAATwriters for leading the charge. pic.twitter.com/x6VkYUcIA3
— ThisIsUsWriters (@ThisIsUsWriters) June 21, 2018
The cast of #Superstore is celebrating #NationalSelfieDay in a special way. Please support Raices (link in bio) which provides legal aid to immigrant families. #OneVidaAtATime #KeepFamiliesTogether #FreeOurFamilies pic.twitter.com/fCL1cz5dRR
— colton dunn (@captdope) June 21, 2018
Seeking asylum is not a crime. The #Blindspot writers urge you to donate what you can to the Family Reunification Bond Fund: https://t.co/tfLBL2NBxC #FreeOurFamilies #EndFamilyDetention #EndFamilySeparation #OneVidaAtATime pic.twitter.com/2xTMhiUm0H
— Brendan Gall (@GallBrendan) June 21, 2018
My heart is exploding! Thank you @DuckTales writers & @lostinspacetv writers for accepting the #OneVidaAtATime challenge to raise $ to reunite families! pic.twitter.com/wfWAS0C78d
— Gloria Calderón Kellett (@everythingloria) June 21, 2018
Thank you Orange is the New Black!! @OrangeWriters @OITNB #KeepFamilesTogether #OneVidaAtATime #FamiliesBelongTogther pic.twitter.com/0NtMBxGdbz
— Vida Writers (@VidaWriters) June 22, 2018
Thank you @HowToGetAwayABC #KeepFamiliesTogether #OneVidaAtATime pic.twitter.com/kAzVqySQk3
— Vida Writers (@VidaWriters) June 21, 2018
Vida‘s Sunday night Starz’s partner weighed in too:
Yes!! Thank you #sweetbitter writers!! @Sweetbitter_STZ ❤ #OneVidaAtATime pic.twitter.com/eYfMjtc8qg
— Gloria Calderón Kellett (@everythingloria) June 21, 2018
The writers from Ava DuVerney and Oprah Winfrey’s Queen Sugar added their names to the effort as did Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and the showrunners from Glow, which is about to launch for a second season:
Thank you @QueenSugarOWN ! #keepfamiliestogether #OneVidaAtATime @RAICESTEXAS pic.twitter.com/mUrEil1IeE
— Vida Writers (@VidaWriters) June 22, 2018
Thank you @13ReasonsWhy Writers for taking the #OneVidaAtATime challenge! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/1HpZVHHvZr
— Vida Writers (@VidaWriters) June 22, 2018
Aaaaaand I’m weeping! @GlowNetflix is on hiatus but that didn’t stop Showrunners Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive from supporting us with their children!! Thank you!! #onevidaatatime pic.twitter.com/XtyOsYGPdo
— Gloria Calderón Kellett (@everythingloria) June 22, 2018
Just over a week before it’s fifth season debut, writer’s from Vida‘s fellow Starz series Power stepped up too:
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.