It’s something many Asian American children have grown up with- knowing that their eyes are different from most of their peers.
So many have experienced others making fun of their eyes, ridiculing them with the slant eye gesture. In the video, Analyn, a Filipino American girl looks downtrodden and shares that another child told her she looks ugly and made fun of her eyes.
Alan Maraoka who plays Alan on the classic children’s show and Wes, a new African American character, cheer up Analyn by singing Proud of Your Eyes.
I see in your eyes that you feel hurt.
Just know that they were wrong.
Someone said things that made you sad.
You were beautiful all along.
Your eyes are wonderful.
The girl here with me.
I see you’re someone wonderful.
Sesame Workshop worked with the Coalition of Asian American Children and Families and other racial equity groups to release a guide to guide families to continue conversations about combatting racism, according to NBC.
“The reality is that many children grow up experiencing racism, including Asian American children who for years have reported high levels of racial harassment — a number exacerbated by heightened xenophobia and scapegoating during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung, co-executive directors of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, said to NBC. “With a long history of building trust with families, Sesame Workshop is the ideal organization to engage parents and caregivers in critical conversations with their little ones, help families cope with the harms of racism, and help build solidarity among communities.”
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