Anyone who’s traveled beyond the hallowed cul-de-sacs of Colorado Springs’ exurbs knows that most people who don’t live here see our city the way we’re portrayed in the mainstream media: “The Evangelical Vatican,” “that place with the pretty rocks,” etc. Last night’s episode of 16 and Pregnant about local teen-mother Ebony Rendon on MTV probably won’t do much to change our image in the eyes of America. But if you’re paying close attention, you might just see that our fair city has produced an individual seldom seen in the mainstream media: a strong, young black woman who not only had a child in high school, but managed to get amazing support from her family, her peers and her school. Not only that, but she graduated, kept her man (she’s now married and her daughter is 2 months old), and she’s starting college next year at PPCC. Rendon is also a Christian and a was a member of JROTC. But she also talks a lot of smack and curses like a sailor. In a lot of ways, she’s not unlike the character Juno from the 2007 movie of the same title, which the show makes no attempts to hide. Strangest of all, she’s no naif. She knew that she might get pregnant, was prepared to accept the consequences and knows she has a long road ahead of her. Wow!

Is this a good thing? Will her portrayal encourage teen pregnancy? Does Rendon signal a new wave of Obama-era Christian feminism born from Colorado Springs’ odd mixture of evangelicals, military culture and neo-post-hippiedom? Please watch the episode HERE and let us know what you think in the comments below.

You can also read an article I wrote about Rendon HERE at the Gazette’s website (don’t miss the dozens of surly comments there, either!).

(Please let us know what you think of The Big Something or give us your ideas in the comments below or by emailing us at TheBigSomething@KRCC.org. Thanks!)