Brought to You by the Letters S.O.S.
The street that raised us is in trouble. It’s time we show up.
The Sesame Street x SZA collab might be the most wholesome thing we’ve seen in 2025. Imagine being a kid, sitting down to watch Sesame Street, and seeing SZA singing along with Elmo and friends. A music superstar taking the time to sing songs that make kids feel good—it was a needed reminder of what Sesame Street means to us.
But that warm, fuzzy feeling fades when I remember that budget cuts threaten the show—and the government is trying to take one more thing away from our Black children.
In 1969, through a program created to help eradicate poverty and racial injustice, a show was born. Sesame Street—target audience: “the four-year-old inner-city Black youngster.” With Harlem influences and musical guests like Luther Vandross, a show for us was created.
I practiced and learned basic math and English along with life skills through a fun, warm, and caring vibe. My mom ran a daycare, and every morning you could find an episode of it running in my house. Some topics were hard emotional issues, but the show helped you heal from common childhood traumas—death, divorce, and even racism were all topics brought to us in a way that never made us feel less than. It has continued to push on through the times, made to make us as children feel safe and affirm our self-worth.
Before Tyler, the Creator released “I Killed You,” Sesame Street gave us the banger called “I Love My Hair.” A Black girl puppet sang about how she loved her curly, kinky hair. It showed love to braids, to fros. It gave kids a reason to love something that we have historically been told was ghetto—or made to feel like lesser humans because of tight curls and afros. It’s a moment all of us have faced. Do I embrace my afro and risk not getting selected for a job? Why are my carefully braided cornrows considered unprofessional in the white world? There is no good answer, but the Street reminded us to love our hair no matter what.
The show is under attack, though. It has been in the crosshairs of government cutbacks from this terrible administration. Along with the contract between the show and the streaming app MAX ending, the show now has to find a new home and new funding. Layoffs have already occurred, and it’s becoming desperate times. It’s time for us to step up and do our part to save the show.
For over half a century, this show has helped bridge the gap in underfunded education systems, giving children an affirming place to learn tools that help us through life. It is for everybody, but Sesame Street is uniquely ours. It was a result of the Civil Rights Movement and has adapted to the times as the years went by. It was based around Harlem, Black kids, and education. We have to do everything in our power—for our culture and our children—to carry on the tradition of being raised on Sesame Street. We deserve it.
How to help:
Word of mouth: talk about the show being on the verge of cancellation.
Visit the Sesame workshop to support the show if you have the extra pape or want to find more ways to help.
Stay woke,
Loc
