How "Sesame Street" creators designed the show to honor Black communities

An episode set to stream on HBO Max this fall was recently filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, allowing a visitor on set for the first time since COVID-19 shut down production in 2020. While the subject of the episode is being kept secret, it is safe to assume that joy, diversity, and education are on the agenda. In honor of Black History Month, we reflect on the inception of "Sesame Street" and its vital role in providing positive representation for young Black viewers. Over 53 years after its debut, the children's television program continues to lead the way in helping kids feel seen by showcasing characters and families that look like them while educating others about experiences that may differ from their own. "Sesame Street" was created in 1969, born out of the intersection of the civil rights movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson's war on poverty, and the subsequent Head Start program, which aimed to provide early childhood education and other necessities to low-income families. The show's founders, Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrissett, developed the concept around a single question: "Can television be used to teach children and level the playing field for children most disenfranchised by societal conditions?" According to Akimi Gibson, Vice President of Formal Learning and Racial Justice Content at Sesame Workshop, "Sesame Street" is still answering that question today. Megan Piphus recently made history as the first Black woman puppeteer on the show. Her journey to "Sesame Street" began with an Instagram message in 2018 to Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, the puppeteer for Abby Cadabby, the bright pink fairy-in-training Muppet, who shared her work with "Sesame Street" producers. It wasn't until March 2020, when production had halted due to the pandemic, that Piphus was invited to join the show after the team had time to review old submissions. Piphus said, "I immediately saw myself represented through her," referring to her muppet, Gabrielle, who wears her curly hair up in two Afro puffs.