‘Sesame Street’ is back with two Black Muppets to educate children about racism
In an effort to celebrate unique identities “Sesame Street’s” newest characters are making their debut in the long-running show. The characters will be of a Black dad Elijah and his son Wes.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit, educational organization behind “Sesame Street”. It is releasing resources to support families in talking to their children about race and racism featuring Wes, Elijah and Elmo.
In the video, Elmo is seen politely asking Elijah why Wes’s skin is brown, while Elmo’s skin is red.
“Melanin is something we each have inside our bodies that make the outside of our bodies the skin color that it is,” Elijah responds. “It also gives us our eye and our hair color.”
Elijah also reminds young viewers that “the color of our skin is an important part of who we are, but we should all know that it’s OK we all look different in so very many ways.”
Sesame Workshop also released a music video with the song “Giant” featuring Wes, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Rosita singing about the graveness of feeling “strong in their skin.”
“At Sesame Workshop, we look at every issue through the lens of a child. Children are not colorblind – not only do they first notice differences in the race in infancy, but they also start forming their own sense of identity at a very young age,” Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president Dr. Jeanette Betancourt said in the statement.
In October, “Sesame Street” taught children to stand up against racism in a half-hour anti-racist special, “The Power of We,” which defined racism for children showing how malicious it can be.
Most importantly urged younger viewers who encounter racism or hear someone else be the victim of it to call it out. “When you see something that’s wrong, speak up and say, ‘That’s wrong’ and tell an adult,” 6-year-old Gabrielle the Muppet advised.
