Legislatively Speaking
By Senator Lena C. Taylor
On January 23, 2023 we lost a friend from our youth that you likely didn’t know by name. But if I sang a song, you could likely guess.
Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the
clouds away
On my way
to where the
air is sweet
Can you tell me
how to get?
How to get to
Sesame Street
Lena C. Taylor
In learning about the passing of the show’s co-creator Lloyd Morrisett, this month, I was completely unprepared for the backstory about how Big Bird and the crew came to be. Morrisett was a Psychologist with a career in education, communications, and philanthropy. As one of the founders of the Children’s Television Workshop, the platform was used to craft the children’s popular television show Sesame Street. Morrisett created this staple of American childhood with Joan Ganz Cooney.
What I didn’t know is that the show was born out of concern about Black children who were struggling in school during the Civil Rights Movement. It is no secret that education was intentionally kept out of the reach of Black people during the era of slavery. Subpar and unequal schools permeated African-American neighborhoods and public schools.
While lawyers and activists were fighting these systemic inequities in courtrooms and classrooms, Morrisett decided to use television to help improve access to education.
It never dawned on me that Ernie and his cohorts lived in an urban setting. Yes, Elmo, Bert, and Grover looked very different from each other. I don’t know that I thought about these characters representing diversity and inclusion. I simply knew they were different colors, sizes and shapes. However, some folks figured it out.
One year after Sesame Street was created in 1969, the state of Mississippi banned the show from airing on their public airways. In 1970, Mississippi’s State Commission on Education actually said that the show had a “highly integrated cast of children” and that “Mississippi was not ready for it.” I was in preschool when they made that decision! I knew nothing about race.
Come and play
Everything’s A-OK
Friendly neighbors there
That’s where we meet
Can you tell me
how to get
How to get to
Sesame Street
Today, I better understand the lines “Everything’s A-OK, Friendly neighbors there”. Ruby Bridges, the Little Rock Nine, and the March on Milwaukee represented communities where it wasn’t okay for black children. Eerily, laws are being introduced and enacted in 2023, reminiscent of the 1950’s and 60’s. These actions intentionally seek to disenfranchise the history that accompanies Black children. Amazing how Big Bird got it right and so many adults get it wrong.