PBS KIDS has announced a new special, PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism, coming this fall.
Premiering on 9 October, the half-hour program will feature kids and their parents discussing about race and racial justice-related topics in an age-appropriate way, such as noticing differences in race, understanding what racism can look like, and embracing the role we all have to play in standing up for ourselves and each other. The show will include content from PBS KIDS series DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, Arthur and XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM.
PBS Children’s Media and Education chief programming executive and general manager Lesli Rotenberg said, “PBS KIDS believes kids are capable of understanding and talking through tough, but important issues with the adults in their lives – something that has been core to our mission for the last 50 years. Through the PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special, our goal is to support parents in talking with their children about race, anti-Black racism in our country, and how to be actively anti-racist. Parents have increasingly asked us for these resources, and we hope that this special will provide a helpful starting point in whatever way they choose to have these conversations with their children.”
PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism will debut as part of PBS KIDS Family Night on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel, and will also be available on PBS stations nationwide, and streaming on pbskids.org, the PBS KIDS Video app and on PBS KIDS’ Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Talk About, previously an online-only video series, models authentic and practical parent-child conversations that reflect PBS KIDS’ core values of kindness and curiosity, and has included real families addressing topics such as feelings and emotions, relationships and family, curiosity and wonder, bravery and courage, and self-confidence and determination.
To support this new offering, PBS KIDS provides a variety of resources to help parents talk to young children about race and racism. This resource hub on PBS KIDS for Parents includes articles, a webinar, booklists, links to programming, and more tips and resources to help parents have meaningful conversations with young children about race, racism, and being anti-racist.
Produced by Crossroads Productions for PBS, the special was developed in consultation with Dr. Aisha White (The P.R.I.D.E Programme director – Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education), Dr. Renée Wilson-Simmons ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) Awareness Foundation) executive director and Dr. Dana Winters, Simple Interactions and Academic Programs director; Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies, Fred Rogers Center. The PBS KIDS Talk About series and the PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism special were created with major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.