CNN And Sesame Street Will Host A Town Hall Addressing Racism

CNN and Sesame Street are holding a town hall to talk to kids about racism

As the coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we (and our kids) know it, Sesame Street has been there for us every step of the way. They’ve reached out to parents and kids alike with messages of calm and solidarity. Elmo even started a “Not Too Late” show to entertain quarantined little ones. Now, they’re teaming up with CNN to bring kids some much-needed information about another topic coming up in American households these days: racism and protests.

CNN and Sesame Street are collaborating to bring kids a 60-minute special called “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” that will air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET.

“As anger and heartbreak have swept across America over the killing of yet another black man at the hands of police, CNN and ‘Sesame Street’ are refocusing their second town hall to address racism,” CNN announced.

The format will see Big Bird with CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill moderating the segment. Several of our best-loved Sesame Street characters will be making appearances including Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Rosita. There will be experts on too answering questions submitted by families to CNN.

For their own part, Sesame Street has already released a statement on racism — and their complete intolerance of it. “Racism has no place on our Street — or any street. Sesame Street was built on diversity, inclusion, and especially kindness,” they wrote.

“Today and every day we stand together with our Black colleagues, partners, collaborators and the entire Black community. We stand with our friends around the globe to speak out against racism, to promote understanding and to create a world that is smarter, stronger and kinder.”

Participating in this town hall is excellent action to go with those words. As parents struggle to find the right words to tell their kids about what’s happening in our country after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers, Sesame Street and CNN are offering a chance to get that discussion going. They did the same during a town hall about the coronavirus pandemic in April. The characters have also done “interviews” where they speak directly to kids about the crisis.

CNN is giving families a chance to submit their own questions for the town hall on protests and racism. Fill out the form and maybe your question will be addressed during the segment.

The town hall will air on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español this Saturday at 10:00 am ET. You can also tune in via live-stream on CNN.com or on mobile devices through CNN’s apps, without requiring a cable log-in.