A U-turn on Sesame Street with Dr Charlene Fletcher

Dr Fletcher is back for our final episode of the season! The history of Sesame Street is the topic of today’s conversation. Back in 1969 when the show was launched it was focused on underserved children to supplement absent preschool services. However, today it’s been moved behind a paywall. So, let’s figure out how we got to Sesame Street and where it’s headed…

Show Notes:

Dr Charlene Fletcher:

Her website: https://www.charlenejfletcher.com

You can read a chapter of her work here: https://www.amazon.com/Slavery-Freedom-Bluegrass-State-Revisiting-ebook/

Keep an eye out for her upcoming book: Confined Femininity: Race, Gender, and Incarceration in Kentucky, 1865-1920 from University of North Carolina Press

Our Sources:

Greene, Bryan. “The Unmistakable Black Roots of Sesame Street”, Smithsonian Magazine (November 7th, 2019), accessed at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/unmistakable-black-roots-sesame-street-180973490/. 

History.com. ‘“Sesame Street” Debuts’, This Day in History, accessed at https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sesame-street-debuts#:~:text=The%20show%20was%20the%20brainchild,year%2Dolds%20prepare%20for%20kindergarten.

Lepore, Jill. “How we got to Sesame Street.” The New Yorker (May 11th, 2020), accessed at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/11/how-we-got-to-sesame-street. 

Tierney, Joan D. “The Miracle on Sesame Street”, Phi Delta Kappan (January, 1971), Vol. 52, No. 5, accessed at JSTOR.com.