Sesame Street will produce a special about racism that encourages kids to speak up and “say something” if they see something that’s “wrong.”
“The Power of We” is the announced title of the show being put on by the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind the popular kids show. It will air later this month, per NBC News in a piece published Thursday. (RELATED: New Sesame Street Puppet Has A Father In Prison)
The half-hour anti-racist special will use puppets, Elmo, songs and more to tell children about racial justice. When children see something “that’s wrong, speak up and say, ‘That’s wrong’ and tell an adult,” a 6-year-old Gabrielle the Muppet advises.
‘Sesame Street’ will air a special later this month called “The Power of We” to urge children who encounter racism or hear someone else be the victim of it to call it out. https://t.co/8zA5dnQlcX
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 8, 2020
According to the report:
In one animated skit, a Black Muppet is told by a white Muppet that he can’t dress up like a superhero because they’re only white. Though hurt, the Black Muppet nevertheless refuses to stop playing superheroes, saying they can come in all colors. The white Muppet soon apologizes. “Racism hurts and it’s wrong,” is the message.
The piece noted that, there is a song called “How Do You Know?” which deals with racism.
“Hey, Elmo, how would you feel if I said, ‘I don’t like you ’cause I don’t like the color red?'” Tamir, a Black, 8-year-old Muppet sings. Elmo replies, “Elmo wouldn’t care what you said ’cause Elmo is proud, proud to be red!”
The song then ends with the line “Speak up. Say something. Don’t give in,” per the outlet.
“We believe that this moment calls for a direct discussion about racism to help children grasp the issues and teach them that they are never too young to be ‘upstanders’ for themselves, one another, and their communities,” Kay Wilson Stallings, executive vice president of creative and production at Sesame Workshop, shared in a statement.
To go along with the special, the organization has included online resources such as line art that can be downloaded for kids to color along with a certificate with a place to put their name on it as an upstander. (RELATED: Obamas Target Preschoolers With Newest Netflix Series ‘Ada Twist, Scientist’)