The power of nonverbal communication! This picture is of my friend, Taylor and I at age four. Both of us are holding a white doll. Taylor looks so happy where I look uncomfortable. As a result, my parents made sure I had black books and black baby dolls. This made me feel special because I was able to see people who looked like me. I don't want any young child to feel like they are not represented; regardless of ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation or religion.
Growing up in the late 1990s early 2000s, Saturday morning cartoons were a part of my routine. I loved Alvin & the Chipmunks, Arthur, and Little Bear. Aside from being cute entertaining shows, I loved them for another reason. All these characters were brown. I was not used to watching shows and seeing characters that had my skin color. Because of this, my five-year old self had to identify with these brown-skinned animal characters.
As I got older, I found and watched television shows that were relational to me. Susie Carmichael from Rugrats, Penny Proud from the Proud Family, Numba 5 from Codename Kids Next Door, and the cast of Gullah Gullah Island quickly became my favorites. My confidence level was boosted just from seeing brown girls in cartoons. Most recently, there have been more brown girls represented in children cartoons. Disney has black characters such as Princess Tiana and Doc McStuffins. I am grateful that the younger generation has these brown girls to emulate and gain self-confidence. There are now more cartoons that represent minorities.
Tune in next week as I talk about black women in TV shows and movies!
No comments:
Post a Comment