Good Trouble had one of Black Lives Matters' co-founders on its writing staff when the George Floyd protests began

Los Angeles Times

This season of the Freeform series may seem ripped from the headlines, but executive producer Joanna Johnson points out that the show enlisted the help of Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors before Floyd was killed last year, when BLM had a negative approval rating. “People are always saying, ‘Wow, you really are ahead of things,’” says Johnson. “But we’re just trying to deal with things that have been going on for a long time. If these issues happen to make the press, it’s just because it’s been in the shadows for so long.” Cullors was enlisted for an episode this season in which Malika faced the legal ramifications of her arrest during a Black Lives Matter protest. At first Cullors was recruited to appear as herself, then she became an advisor, and finally a writer. “She was on staff when the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protests began, so we had a front seat to what her organization was going through," says Johnson. "She became executive director of Black Lives Matter and had to leave, but we were very invested in those stories long before the summer.”