Sesame Street tells 2.7 million children they’re not alone
Sesame Street's series on incarceration, with videos, activities, and tips for parents, providers, and caregivers
by Bernadette Rabuy, September 18, 2014
A couple of months ago, John Oliver did a hilarious episode on prisons including a scene in which Oliver sings about prisons with Sesame Street muppets. A few days ago, thanks to a tweet by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, we got to see another, animated video from the Sesame Street series, “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration.”
Sesame Street Made A Clip For Kids Who Have A Parent In Prison. It’ll Break Your Heart. http://t.co/95TZWuoCAR
— SCSJ (@scsj) September 9, 2014
It’s a heartbreaking video and also an opportunity to get a glimpse into the life of a child with an incarcerated parent. Along with a series of videos with muppets and real kids’ stories, the Sesame Street toolkit includes activities and tips for incarcerated parents, providers, and caregivers. We agree with John Oliver that it’s great to see Sesame Street addressing mass incarceration, but it’s beyond disturbing that our nation’s failed policies and practices leave more than 2.7 million children with an incarcerated parent.
