Representation
Growing up, watching Saturday morning cartoons was an event! If you’re around my age, you’ll remember DuckTales, The Jetsons, Tom and Jerry, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and, my personal favorite, The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, among many others. If you want to dig deeper, after starting the day watching cartoons, those late mornings and early afternoons would consist of 90s staples – NBA Inside Stuff and Saved by the Bell.
Great times were had.
Naturally, as the years passed, a new generation came along and advancements were made in technology and animation. As a result, new programming geared towards kids was developed and the shows I came to love growing up faded into the background in place of the more current, popular options. No problem for me, because as I got older, I wasn’t watching cartoons anyways. Sure, every once in a while, I’d stop for a bit on the Boomerang channel or the Cartoon Network and catch an episode or two of some of the oldies, but other than that, I was pretty much oblivious to what was going on in that space.
So imagine my surprise when I became a dad and had to start watching kid’s television again. Where do I start? What’s the latest popular cartoon character that I had to introduce my son to? Luckily, between friends and social media, I was pointed in the right direction. It didn’t take long before the theme songs to Paw Patrol and Bubble Guppies were ingrained in my head. Now, I know pretty much every Cocomelon jingle there is.
Kids growing up in today’s age have so many more options than we had in our day. There was no YouTube. No platforms for original content like Blippi. At the same time, we now have more access to information than our own parents did. It’s amazing how as we age, things that we never considered when we were kids are now in the forefront of our minds now that we are parents. With age comes experience. With experience comes knowledge. With knowledge comes wisdom. That wisdom allows us to realize the things that matter.
Little things like seeing people who look like us represented in, yes, cartoons and other programming for kids. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with the “mainstream” shows. Emory loves them, and actually prefers them. But it’s important for me to make sure there’s balance. I have to prioritize showing him images and people on the television who look like him. Who look like Mommy and Daddy. Representation is important to show him that it's okay to be himself. When our kids look at the television, or play on their tablets, it lets them know that there are other people out there who look like them. It helps their self-esteem and confidence.
Thankfully, there are a few shows that give us the options to introduce our kids to diverse programming. Circle Time with Ms. Monica and Tab Time provide quality early education options. Ada Twist, Scientist, a cartoon on Netflix, features an 8-year-old black girl and her friends. JoolsTV and Gracie’s Corner add flavor to some of the traditional kids songs that many of us learned growing up.
To some, representation may not matter. But for little black boys and girls, it’s imperative that they see people like them in all facets of their lives, including what they consume on television. It helps them be comfortable in their own skin, and reassures them that possibilities are endess. As a dad, I have to do whatever it takes to ensure I’m instilling confidence in my kids. There’s confidence in knowing they can be whatever they want to be. That confidence starts at an early age, by seeing themselves adequately represented, and knowing that they matter in the world.