Today I watched a video by CNN and Sesame Street that tried to explain to kids what racism is. It started with Elmo asking his dad what protests are. Elmo's dad said protest are people gathering to make others aware of a problem.
Here's a picture of Elmo talking to his dad. (I know this is a serious topic but I was confused. Why is Elmo Zooming his dad if they live in the same house? Maybe he's just too lazy to walk to the next room? Or maybe Elmo lives with other relatives? Just confused.)
Elmo's dad also explained what racism is. He said it is when other people treat other people badly just because of how they look. He said kids can help to stop racism by learning and taking action.
Other adults also said kids can help by speaking up if they see someone doing something wrong.
Abby Cadabby talked about how her friend Big Bird got teased just because he was big and had yellow feathers. She didn't think that was very nice. She talked to Big Bird and told him she didn't care what those other birds said about him.
There were some questions from kids who asked if a people officer would harm them because of the color of their skin. Charles Ramsey who is a former Philadelphia Police Commissioner said most police officers are out their protecting you no matter what you look like. He said that there are a few out there who don't always act the way they should and they shouldn't be police officers.
He also said it doesn't take a lot to make a change. He talked about Rosa Parks and how she didn't give up her seat on the bus to a white person. He said that action helped to start the Civil Rights Movement.
My mom remembered that we had a stack of library books we haven't been able to return because the libraries have been closed. In that stack we had a book titled Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America. I read this before spring break but my mom said it might be a good time to read it again. The book included Rosa Parks. I learned about her in school.
It's a picture book with one sentence about the picture. I didn't know what this next one was but the back of the book had more information.
This is Ruby Bridges. She was the first African American student to go to an all-white elementary school in 1960. She and her family were threatened because of this.
I liked the quote that was under her section. It said, "Forgive them, because they don't know what they're doing." We looked it up and it's a Bible prayer that Ruby Bridges would say everyday when she walk to school and back home.
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