TRENDING

This letter from GL's editor Karen Bokram appears in our October/November 2020 issue (peep it HERE!). The opinions expressed here are her own...

Full confession: I came late to the whole The Baby-Sitters Club thing. I never read the classic books growing up (though my 8-year-old entrepreneur self, who was busy with a barrette business, wholly approved of bossing up the babysitting game). 

So whenever the series came up in conversation, I wasn’t ever *really* sure if I was a Claudia, Kristy, Stacey, Mary Anne or Dawn. 

Fast forward to now: Netflix let me know they were rebooting the series...and would GL be interested in doing a cover? While I may not have been the OG BSC super fan so many of my friends are, I knew it would be huge, so I started streaming...and I couldn’t stop. 

OK, sure, it began as research. Then it morphed into hours of eating Twizzlers (how Claudia of me), texting my childhood bestie (hey, Jen) and wondering where I could get fruit earrings (check out our roundup here). Clearly, I was hooked. 

Maybe it was the smart characters or the great writing or the amazing acting, wry references and awesome outfits (check out our interview on p. 16 of the issue to see what the stars scored from set). 

Or maybe it was something bigger. 

We’ve all endured months of challenges brought on by COVID-19. We’ve all had our hearts broken over the continued violence against Black people. We’ve all seen our country torn apart by protest, aggression, divisiveness and vitriol. And now we are all bracing for an election that seems to be pitting neighbors and family members against each other, all convinced their side is “right.” 

Want to know whose side I think is right? The Baby-Sitters Club’s. The girls are kind. They are honest. They tell the truth (OK, sure, it may take them a bit—but a couple life lessons later, they are the better for it). They know the value of community, caring and compassion. They are a diverse bunch who accept others, even if it takes a little learning (like Mary Anne with Bailey). And they know that, despite their differences, they are stronger, happier together. 

We’ve always had a running joke at the magazine that our October/November issue was the one where we packed all our most serious content. So grab an extra-large oat milk cocoa, because we’re tackling everything from colorism, to our current culture of lying, to the election, to transgender rights, to mental health. (Oh, and it’s almost Scorpio season.) 

Does that seem like a lot? Yes. But we are at a serious turning point in our country’s history, one that will affect your generation for years to come. And the only way you can ensure that your future is the one you want is by becoming informed, then taking action to create the changes you believe in. 

And what do I believe in? Well let’s just say that if I could vote for President Kristy Thomas, Vice President Claudia Kishi, Treasurer Stacey McGill, Secretary Mary Anne Spier and Alternate Officer Dawn Schafer, I would. 

They remind us that, even when we are divided, on the darkest of nights, just like Mary Anne and Kristy signaling an apology in flashing code across their bedroom windows, we can shine a light. 

The truth is, despite our differences, no matter what we call ourselves, we really are all the same. We are all a little bit Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Mary Anne and Dawn. 

And once we all accept that, we can start to once again live up to the values of The Baby-Sitters Club.

Hey, girl! Just wanted to let you know that you can spot this letter in our October/November 2020 issue. Want more? Read the print mag for free *today* when you click HERE.

by GL | 9/30/2020