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'16 & Recovering': Lack of POC representation drowns out Joey's story as fans worry about plight of Black people

Fans seem to be questioning why there are no Black students in Recovery High

MTV's four-part docuseries spotlights Northshore Recovery High School, where young students explore their sober side without the pressures of fitting in. Principal Michelle Lipinski could have been the strict, no-nonsense authoritative figure but she chooses to be their friend, an assertive one at that who stands by each of her students, guides them, lends a patient ear and helps them make their path to recovery a seamless one. 

But it's not always easy. In Episode 2, we see her break down after she receives the news of a student's death who passed away from a suspected overdose. These stories are crushing and a punch to the gut because Michelle and her staff work relentlessly to ensure the kids are able to rise above their addiction. "I always wonder, who's next?" Michelle says as she deals with the passing of one of her students. 

However, it's not all grim at Recovery High. There are stories of hope and change. It's been three months Joey has been sober and playing at concerts, released a full-length music album and has plans to go to college to study philosophy or engineering. He continues to remain committed to his recovery but he did leave everyone in shock when he relapsed during his time at Recovery High. He did weed and LSD again but was willing to put his life back together and chose to come back to school to finish what he started. 

Joey's story is inspiring but fans are more invested in understanding the apparent racial disparities in the intakes as they asked why the school doesn't have Black or Brown kids enrolled. 

"So there’s absolutely not one black/person of color as a student, on this show huh? #16andRecovering," a fan commented, to which another responded: "I guess it's more about how the kids get in. most of the kids in there got sent by their previous schools. only very few of them are there by personal choice." The thread continued with another tweet: "And that’s fine and all but it shows the racial disparities for students of color who don’t have those resources."

"I didn’t see not 1 black student!!! #16andRecovering Black people been dying for YEARS from heroin & crack addiction!!! But Lord When it Hit those Beautiful Caucasian communities... AMERICA STOPPED TO HELP!!! #Intervention," a viewer shared. A user expressed: "I think it’s unfortunate that they don’t show the plight of young POC with addictions because they don’t always have the support or ability to get into schools like this. They are seen as “thugs” and whites are “affected by the drug epidemic."

Catch all the new episodes of '16 & Recovering' on MTV every Tuesday at 9/8c. For more information, check your local listings.