Courtesy of HBO(NEW YORK) — The Sesame Street gang is teaming up for a special aimed at teaching kids how they can stand up to racism in a new special airing on HBO Max and PBS Kids.

The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special will feature Elmo and Abby Cadabby, who are joined by six-year-old Muppet Gabrielle and her cousin, eight-year-old Tamir, as they “learn how to become ‘upstanders’ to unfair treatment based on skin — or fur — color.”

Current and former Sesame Street human cast members, including Alan, Charlie, Chris and Gordon, will also appear in the special, alongside celebrity and musical guests Yara Shahidi, Christopher Jackson and Andra Day.

The Power of We will includes two new songs: “How Do You Know?” and “Listen, Act, Unite!” the latter written and performed by Jackson and featuring Day.

“Sesame Street has the ability to entertain children while explaining complex issues like no other program and equips families and caregivers with the support they need to have empathetic conversations,” said Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President of Creative and Production at Sesame Workshop in a statement on Thursday.

“We believe that this moment calls for a direct discussion about racism to help children grasp the issues and teach them that they are never too young to be ‘upstanders’ for themselves, one another, and their communities,” she adds.

In June, Sesame Street teamed up with CNN for a town hall to talk to kids about racism amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.

The new special will stream both on HBO Max and PBS KIDS starting October 15 with repeats airing throughout the month and into November.

By George Costantino
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