Kiddipedia
As we all know, each families’ race, ethnicity, and culture are important parts of their identity. Children, including very young children, understand and want to have a sense of belonging to their families’ racial, ethnic, and cultural group or groups.
Iconic children’s television program Sesame Street recently introduced a new Korean American character called Ji-Young to encourage empathy and acceptance of Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
Ji-Young will be making her debut on Sesame Street here in Australia on ABCKids on March 21.
Ji-Young’s introduction is part of an initiative by Sesame called ‘See us Coming Together’, which aims to support families to have ongoing conversations about race with young children.
So, if you’ve ever wondered how we can help children feel pride and confidence in their own skin and develop positive racial attitudes about other children, then you are in the right place!
Today, I’m so excited for our 200th Episode to welcome two very special guests all the way from Sesame Street in New York City, Autumn Zitani, who is a Content Producer at Sesame Workshop, and Ji-Young, the newest resident of Sesame Street!
We ask Ji-Young and Autumn questions including:
- Ji Young, you recently celebrated Neighbour Day on Sesame Street – can you tell us about that?
- You also met some celebrities like Naomi Osaka, who else have you met? What were they like and what did you learn from them?
- Do you enjoy learning about different cultures?
- We hear you love electric guitar, tell us about your music?
- Do you also love sharing some of your favourite foods with your Sesame Street friends? Can you tell us about that?
- You also spend a lot of time with your Grandma, don’t you? Can you tell me about your relationship with her and the special things that you do together?
- How do you help friends feel like they belong?
- Ji-Young, how have you settled into Sesame Street? It must be such a fun place to live – what do you love most about living there?
- What have you learnt from any of the other Sesame Street residents, like Elmo or Big Bird?
- Why did Sesame Workshop decide to create a character like Ji-Young?
- Why was it important for Sesame Street to represent Asian and Pacific Islander communities?
- The introduction of Ji-Young is part of an initiative called See Us Coming Together. Can you tell us about that?
- How important is it that parents start having conversations with children at a young age about race and identity, and where do they start?
- What other advice would you give to families wanting to start having conversations about race and racism with their children?
- Last year, Sesame Street also introduced two characters called Wes and Elijah. Could you tell me a little about them?
- Why is it important that children see people like themselves represented on screen and in stories?
For the full article, please go to: https://kiddipedia.com.au/tips-for-talking-about-race-with-your-child/
Ji-Young’s Sesame Street debut in See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special will debut on Monday 21st March at 9.30am on ABC Kids and will also be available on ABC iview and the ABC Kids app.
Additional videos and articles for adults to explore on what racial justice can mean for young children. Can be found at sesame.org/seeus.
