Introducing Sesame Street Introducing "Severity of Diversity"

Introducing Sesame Street This release appeals "the importance of diversity" June 25, 4:09

A book introducing characters that appear in the popular American children's program "Sesame Street" was released in Japan on the 25th, and emphasizes the importance of valuing social diversity through unique characters.

“Sesame Street” is a program for children in the United States that started in 1969. It provides opportunities for children in poor families who cannot receive high-quality education to learn through TV, while disparities and racism are social issues. It started to offer.

Today, it is deployed in over 160 countries and regions around the world.

Along with the 50th anniversary of the start of broadcasting next year in Japan, a book introducing the names, birthdays, and personalities of more than 100 characters that have appeared on the program was released on the 25th.

In the book, in addition to familiar characters such as "Cookie Monster" who loves cookies and "Big Bird" who is tall and caring, a refugee boy who left his hometown with his favorite toys, Many characters that reflect local and social issues such as "Jud" and "Lilly" who have become homeless are also introduced.

Manabu Nagaoka, the NPO's representative of Japan who produces the program, says that Japanese children can understand the diversity through characters and build a society in which everyone can participate. , I want you to know that it is a world in which various people coexist, rather than being divided by cultural and environmental differences."

“What do children need?”

In the United States in the 1960s, when Sesame Street started broadcasting, the civil rights movement calling for the elimination of racial discrimination was prosperous, and despite repeated confusion, it was beginning to make a major change towards the integration of people who were beyond race.

However, there are wide disparities in society, and in particular, many blacks and Hispanics have not been able to eliminate poverty and their children have been unable to receive high-quality education.

Against this backdrop, Sesame Street focused on television, which was already widespread in many households at the time, and aimed to deliver equal education through low-income families and children whose English was not their first language. Broadcast has started.

The idea is that by accepting diversity, children in various environments can find their place in the program.

At the beginning of the broadcast, the learning elements such as the alphabet and number counting were the main elements, but gradually it was also used for emotional education such as how to plan a day, how to overcome fear, and be kind to people. I started to work on it.

The creators of Sesame Street are always thinking about what they need for their children, and in recent years, they have evolved with the aim of creating programs that address the challenges facing American society, such as the homeless and drug addiction. Is continuing.

To date, the show has received the Emmy Award for outstanding television shows and the Grammy Award, which is considered the most prestigious in American music.

Diverse characters

Sesame Street has created a variety of characters to face the challenges of American society, which change with the times, with children.

"Lily" is a 7-year-old girl who has become homeless due to poverty. In the United States, the number of children who have lost their homes has been increasing in recent years, and the number of children is over 4 million, according to analysis by research institutions.

Last year, "Kali", a six and a half year old girl who lives with her single mother, appeared. My mother had a drug addiction and was living with her foster parents for a while.

In the past few years in the United States, drug addiction due to abuse of analgesics has become a social problem, and many families have drug addiction as parents.

"Julia" is a girl with autism, a character that has been developed for over 10 years to convey how children can treat their friends with autism.

Recently, characters that reflect issues not only in the United States but around the world have also appeared.

The South African character “Kami” is a girl infected with the AIDS virus and was born to want children to have the correct knowledge about AIDS.

"Zari" in Afghanistan is a curious 6-year-old girl, who has the dream of becoming a doctor and teacher and continues to take on challenges even when girls are not educated enough compared to boys. I am drawing.

“There is no place for racism”

Last month in the US, a black man was killed by a white police officer in Minnesota in the Midwest.

Protest demonstrations have spread to various places after the incident, and movements for social change such as eradication of racial discrimination are continuing.

Sesame Street, which has been working on racism since the beginning of the broadcast, told official Twitter on 1st this month that racism on our street and on any other street in white letters on a black background There is no place for the principle, Sesame Street is built on the recognition of diversity, the acceptance of it, and its kindness. Today, we are always black co-workers, partners, co-workers and all black people. We are with the community. We stand up with friends around the world to oppose racism, promote understanding, and stand up to create a smarter, stronger, and kinder world."

Also used in Japanese school education

Every time Sesame Street tries to tell children the importance of mutual recognition of people with different personalities, cultures and talents, each and every story goes on.

Above all, the theme about the difference in skin color has been taken up many times.

In the episode "Good Bird Club", a big bird featuring yellow wings and tall people received an invitation to the "Good Bird Club" that "good birds" belong one day. The story begins.

However, when I went to the club, the birds I belonged to said that they were "tall" or "yellow wings" and I couldn't let them in.

Big Bird wants to join the group, and he visits the club again, with his friend magically keeping him short.

However, when a friend tells me that "you are nice as it is", it is important for Big Bird to accept what it is and that each person is different and accepts that difference. I realize that.

This episode is also used in Japanese school education as a teaching material to consider the meaning of accepting diversity.

The educational program developed for elementary school students is called the "Sesame Street Curriculum" and has been adopted by elementary schools in Saitama Prefecture for three years.