'Sesame Street' characters will address racism in a special town hall for kids this Saturday

The iconic Sesame Street is teaming up with CNN to address one of the most important topics children should be aware of—racism. In light of the anger and heartbreak that has swept across America following the inhumane death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, the two media forces have joined hands to host a special 60-minute town hall for kids on the matter of race. The 1-hour-long Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families is set to air on Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET.

According to CNN, beloved Sesame Street characters will talk to their young viewers about "racism, the recent nationwide protests, embracing diversity, and being more empathetic and understanding" in the show. The town hall will be moderated by everyone's favorite yellow feathered pop icon: Big Bird, CNN commentator Van Jones, and CNN anchor and national correspondent Erica Hill. They will be joined by popular characters of the likes of Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Rosita, who—along with a few other experts—will answer questions submitted by families.

The virtual town hall was announced this Tuesday, a day after Sesame Street doubled down on its longstanding commitment to diversity with a powerful statement condemning racial inequality. "Racism has no place on our Street — or on any street," the beloved children's program said in a statement posted to its official social media accounts. "Sesame Street was built on diversity, inclusion, and, especially, kindness. Today and every day we stand together with our Black colleagues, partners, collaborators, and the entire Black community. We stand with our friends around the globe to speak out against racism, to promote understanding, and to create a world that is smarter, stronger, and kinder."

Since it's inception in 1969, Sesame Street has created and celebrated a community that's welcoming of everyone irrespective of their skin color, family dynamic, background, abilities, interests, etc. Celebrity guests of all ethnicities have been featured on the show over the years helping parents broach topics such as race, death, incarceration, adoption, and more with their kids. The Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families is the second virtual town hall organized by CNN and Sesame Street. In April, they hosted a town hall addressing the Coronavirus outbreak, featuring the likes of Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Rosita, and Grover with CNN Chief Medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and CNN anchor Erica Hill.

The ABC's of Covid 19: A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Parents tackled issues including education, anxiety, screen time, and playdates in the time of this pandemic. The 90-minutes-long special build on Sesame Workshop's Caring for Each Other initiative, which aims to "help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder." The initiative provides "valuable resources that bring children comfort, spark learning, and help families face challenges together." Parents and children can tune into the upcoming town hall on CNN, CNN International, and CNN en Español or watch it live on CNN.com's homepage and across mobile devices via CNN's apps, without requiring a cable log-in. Those interested can send in their questions here.