Sesame Workshop continues to play its part in keeping parents and young children aware of social issues. Since its inception, Sesame Street has led programming that teaches children about important issues in addition to celebrating diversity. Now, in light of the recent murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed, Sesame Street has teamed up with CNN to host a special 60-minute town hall on racism on June 6, entitled: “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families.”
The announcement follows Sesame Street’s anti-racist statement, which was shared on its social media platforms last week. In the statement, the show reminded viewers that “racism has no place on our Street—or on any street” and promised “to speak out against racism, to promote understanding, and to create a world that is smarter, stronger, and kinder." During the Saturday one-hour special, Big Bird will join CNN’s Van Jones and Erica Hill to moderate questions submitted by audiences nationwide.
"The show will talk to kids about racism, the recent nationwide protests, embracing diversity and being more empathetic and understanding," the announcement on CNN read. The town hall will be the show’s second town hall with CNN this year. In April Sesame Street and CNN hosted the first town hall, when they spoke to families about the novel coronavirus pandemic and broke down ways to explain COVID-19 to children.
For parents and children who have questions about racism, embracing diversity, or the protests occurring nationwide, Sesame Street is offering the opportunity to ask their questions in an online form that gives their questions the potential to be addressed during the town hall event. The form can be found on CNN here.
"Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall For Kids and Families" will air on CNN, CNN International, and CNN en Español channels on June 6 at 10 AM ET. In addition, the program will stream live on CNN.com for free and will not require a cable login.
Sesame Street promotes a culture of understanding, love, and kindness for all. With its diverse cast members and featured guests for generations, Sesame Street has upheld its commitment to diversity. Racism and discrimination are important issues to teach children of all ages about. Sesame Workshop’s programming allows parents to address these issues with their children at a young age, proving that it’s never too early to talk about what matters. “Today and every day we stand together with our Black colleagues, partners, collaborators and the entire Black community,” Sesame Street’s anti-racist statement read. “We stand with our friends around the globe to speak out against racism, to promote understand and to create a world that is smarter, stronger, and kinder.”