Guiding Resources for Promoting Racial Equity on Sesame Street
The Military Families Learning Network (MFLN) and beloved children's show Sesame Street have joined forces to create resources aimed at developing children's racial literacy and addressing racism. This collaboration is particularly significant for military families, who may face unique challenges such as frequent relocations and exposure to diverse environments.
Through this partnership, MFLN and Sesame Street have developed a range of materials to help young children understand race, diversity, and how to cope with and address racism. These resources include:
- Educational videos and activities featuring Sesame Street characters that teach children about racial diversity, empathy, and respect for differences.
- Parent and caregiver guides with tips and conversation starters to help adults talk to children about race and racism in age-appropriate ways.
- Workshops and webinars for military family service providers, offering training on how to support children's racial literacy development.
- Storytelling and play-based learning materials that introduce children to diverse cultures and perspectives, helping to build acceptance and combat biases early on.
The resources are designed to be accessible for military families, recognising their unique challenges, and aim to empower both children and adults in fostering racial understanding and resilience against racism.
One such webinar, held in late July, focused on building racial literacy among children. A recording of this webinar is available for viewing. The collaboration between MFLN's Family Transitions team and Sesame Street aimed to introduce new resources for developing children's understanding, curiosity, resilience, and empathy.
MFLN is a cooperative project involving the University of Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Department of Agriculture / National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Sesame Street’s longstanding commitment to addressing social issues, such as racism, through multimedia content for young children is often integrated into MFLN’s military family support programming to increase children’s social-emotional skills and awareness.
If you wish to access these materials, MFLN’s official website and Sesame Street’s educational sites often provide direct access to videos, parent guides, and support tools for racial literacy development aligned with military family needs.
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Engaging in education-and-self-development opportunities provided by the Military Families Learning Network (MFLN) and Sesame Street can help individuals to better understand and address learning about race, diversity, and overcoming racism. The collaborative resources, such as educational videos, parent guides, workshops, and storytelling materials, are designed to support military families in fostering racial understanding and resilience.
