After over 50 years of being on the air, the legendary children’s show Sesame Street is introducing its first ever Asian American muppet to its cast.
Named Ji-Young, the 7-year old character will be helmed by puppeteer Kathleen Kim, herself a Korean American and a 7-year veteran at Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind the show.
“I feel like I have a lot of weight that I’m maybe putting on myself to teach these lessons and to be this representative that I did not have as a kid,” Kim was quoted as saying.
The character’s introduction comes amidst nationwide conversations about race in the USA. With anti-Asian sentiment on the rise in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sesame Workshop introduced the ‘Coming Together’ initiative, which seeks to address how we ought to talk to children about race, ethnicity, and…