Exterior of Nancy Nicholas Hall in the evening, with lamps and windows glowing.
News & Events

Kirkorian: Sesame Street adds first Asian and Pacific Islander character

Professor Heather Kirkorian discusses Ji-Young—a seven-year-old Korean American character in this interview with WPR.

As part of Sesame Workshop’s “Coming Together” initiative—created to support families of all backgrounds through ongoing conversations about race—the special that aired November 25 includes an opportunity for talking about anti-Asian racism. In an offscreen incident, another child tells Ji-Young to “go home.” This is an example of one kind of discrimination Asian and Pacific Islander people face in western countries where they’re often perceived as “perpetual foreigners.”


Source: Sesame Workshop press release, November 15 2021

Read the full article at: https://www.wpr.org/sesame-street-adds-first-asian-american-character-ji-young