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PBS KIDS: Talk About: Race and Racism

BS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism is a special co-viewing program for families with young children to watch and discuss together. 

The PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special is a half-hour program featuring authentic conversations between real children and their growmups, and will include content from PBS KIDS series DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, ARTHUR and XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM.

The special will feature children and their grownups talking about race and racial justice-related topics in an age-appropriate way, such as noticing differences in race, understanding what racism can look like, and embracing the role we all have to play in standing up for ourselves and each other — offering viewers ideas to build on as they continue these important conversations at home.

**Please note: This special programming is designed as a co-viewing experience with adults and children watching together. **

Watch together on-demand

More: Articles and Resources for Grown-ups 

More About the Special

Grownup note: PBS KIDS programs are designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation, and to address themes relevant to children’s everyday lives. This special is designed for parents and children to watch together, and for parents to build on in whatever way they choose to have these conversations with their children. The program touches on topics such as race, racism, and the recent Black Lives Matter protests from the perspective of real kids in an effort to help children understand what they might be seeing happening around them in a developmentally-appropriate way.

The PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special was created in response to parents increasingly asking PBS KIDS for resources to address tough but important topics with their kids, including race and racism, and is part of PBS KIDS’ ongoing commitment to families across the nation.

Designed as a co-viewing experience, the program explores complicated topics in an age-appropriate way. Our goal is to support parents in talking with their children about race. We hope that our content will provide a helpful starting point in whatever way parents choose to have these conversations with their children. Additional parent resources are available on PBS KIDS for Parents on pbs.org/parents/talking-about-racism to support parents in discussions about race and racial justice-related topics with their children.

The following advisors consulted on this project:

  • Dr. Aisha White, Program Director, P.R.I.D.E (Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education)
  • Dr. Renee Wilson-Simmons, Executive Director, ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Awareness Foundation
  • Dr. Dana Winters, Director of Simple Interactions and Academic Programs; Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies, Fred Rogers Center

Coming Together: Sesame Street Resources on Racial Literacy

Sesame Workshop continues its major commitment to racial justice with new resources and content called “Coming Together” to help families talk to young children about race and identity. 

All kids need a strong individual and group identity, but racism hurts the healthy development of both, as well as our entire society. Whether you and the children in your care are directly affected by racism or you’re allies of those who are, engaging honestly and directly with little ones is the beginning of building racial literacy (the skills needed to talk thoughtfully about race and to identify and respond to racism). 

Please note: All of the resources listed below and available through Sesame Street in Communities are designed for co-viewing, co-learning, and co-participation – meaning that to create the most meaningful experience and takeaways, adults and children should use them together.

I Am Somebody Song:

I Am Somebody (Giant Song) #ComingTogether
You and Me Makes We Song #ComingTogether
#ComingTogether Playlist

Coming Together is rooted in extensive research and consultation with experts to develop a groundbreaking Racial Justice educational framework and curriculum for young children. Like the science-based whole-child model that Sesame Street is known for, this framework will help guide and inform the creation of new Sesame Workshop content going forward—including future seasons of Sesame Street. This collection of resources are designed to provide families with the tools they need to build racial literacy, to have open conversations with young children, to engage allies and advocates to become upstanders against racism, and more, Coming Together includes a racial justice educational framework, ongoing research, and a rolling release of new content.

Where to Find Coming Together Resources: You can find all of the resources connected to Coming Together and Racial Justice by following the below links.

Learn More: Sesame Street in Communities Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Resources

Asian Americans PBS LearningMedia Collection

PBS LearningMedia has a wide range of learning resources for students in grades 7-12th grade, focused on Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage and PBS’s Asian American series including the full Asian Americans series

Asian Americans is a five-hour film series that delivers a bold, fresh perspective on a history that matters today, more than ever. As America becomes more diverse, and more divided, while facing unimaginable challenges, how do we move forward together? Told through intimate and personal lives, the series will cast a new lens on U.S. history and the ongoing role that Asian Americans have played in shaping the nation’s story.

There are videos and three dozen lesson plans based on the Asian American series. Over the coming weeks, you’ll find this collection to include the stories behind the Chinese Exclusion Act, the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, Hawai’i as a sovereign nation, Southeast Asian Refugees after the Vietnam War, Filipino American Farmworkers, the fight for civil rights and much more. Keep checking back.

To support conversation and instruction, WXXI Education has pulled together a list of educational resources available through PBS LearningMedia:

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

    Sesame Street: See Us Coming Together Special

    It’s “Neighbor Day” on Sesame Street and everyone has something special to share! The special follows the Sesame Street friends through a community celebration with new friend Ji-Young—a 7-year-old Korean American character, performed by Sesame Workshop puppeteer Kathleen Kim. Original music and celebrity guests like actors Simu Liu and Anna Cathcart, comic book artist Jim Lee, chef Melissa King, television personality Padma Lakshmi, and athlete Naomi Osaka round out the celebration! Also Available on PBS LearningMedia

    and 

    Ji-Young’s Song with the Best Friends’ Band

    Remembering Pearl Harbor Electronic Field Trip On-Demand

    In the WYES and The National WWII Museum Electronic Field Trip geared to grades 5-8, REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR—HOW STUDENTS LIKE YOU EXPERIENCED THE DAY OF INFAMY, student reporters hear first hand from eyewitnesses who were 11-20 years of age during the time of the surprise attacks. Also sharing their stories are military survivors who were at Pearl Harbor during the attacks. These recollections will bring the experience to life and serve as an excellent primary source in teaching students.

    Students Julia Bresnan from Hawaii and Eliana de Las Casas (2016 winner of “Chopped Teen” on the Food Network) report from The National WWII Museum in New Orleans as well as on location in Hawaii.

    The video is is approximately 50 minutes in length.  Additional Resources from WYES

    Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

    Injustice At Home: Classroom Collection On-Demand

    See a series preview example above. Watch the 3 collections and curriculum designed for classroom use. A study of Executive Order 9066 and the resulting internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the failure of political leadership to protect constitutional rights, the military experience of Japanese-Americans during WWII, and examples of discrimination and racial prejudice the Japanese American community faced before, during and after WWII. Also visit the Japanese American Incarceration Collection on PBS LearningMedia

    Overcoming Discrimination And Adversity (Elementary)

    Stories of Frank C. Hirahara, Kazuko Sakai Nakao, Kaz Yamamoto, and Fred Shiosaki. As survivors of Japanese Incarceration Camps during WWII, the powerful stories of these survivors reveal the damaging nature of racial discrimination upon the Japanese American community before, during, and after war.

    The Japanese American Experience Of The World War II Era

    An exploration of Executive Order 9066 and the resulting internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the failure of political leadership to protect constitutional rights, the military experience of Japanese Americans during WWII, and examples of discrimination and racial prejudice the Japanese American community faced before, during and after the war.

    Resilience And Resettlement: WWII And Beyond (Secondary)

    A study of the resettlement of Japanese Americans after WWII and the ongoing hardships and discrimination they experienced in the postwar years.

    Injustice at Home Curriculum Overview

    An overview of the educational videos and educator lesson plans for Injustice at Home: The Japanese American Experience Of The World War II Era.

    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

    Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond On-Demand

    Watch Full Playlist of Videos Above or At Full Collection of Short Videos below. While Asian Americans have faced a double pandemic of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism, the rise of solidarity efforts within Asian American and other BIPOC communities gives us moments of joy, resilience, and hope as we rebuild our lives. The series of seven documentary shorts move beyond the pandemic and reflect the complexities of Asian American experiences in this critical moment.

    Watch Collection of Video Shorts
    Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage

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