·Writer, Yahoo Entertainment
Thu, December 10, 2020, 4:25 PM EST·3 min read
Cartoon Network is being applauded for a new anti-racism PSA. Narrated by Pearl, a character from Steven Universe, the video aims to bring awareness to systemic racism in America’s education system.
“Black inventors, heroes, and leaders are often left out of history,” the network tweeted along with the video. “Ask yourself as you're learning...who is the focus? Why? Question the story"
The clip begins with Pearl asking her class who invented the lightbulb. When everyone says Thomas Edison, she says that’s “not entirely true.”
“The lightbulb could more rightfully be attributed to Lewis Latimer, the Black inventor behind the filament inside the bulb,” she explains, before going off on the importance of understanding why he invented the filament: “To create a better standard of living for people who had only just been freed from slavery.
“Are we going to ask why kids are apparently learning about Thomas Edison and not learning about Lewis Latimer?” she continues. “These textbooks are incomplete!”
Oh, but Pearl’s not done yet.
“There were Black Roman warriors, Black medieval knights, Black classical musicians, Black cowboys, Black fighter pilots. Where are they? I worry about you humans,” she says. “You rely on these stories to know your own history. Thanks to systemic racism, most of your storytellers prioritized white accomplishments which leaves you with an incomplete picture. Ask yourself as you’re learning history, who is telling the story?” Was this modified to make white readers comfortable? Are major details being left out that would credit people of color and center their point of view?”
Although the video was released last week, it started to go viral on Wednesday. The PSA has been met with a (mostly) positive response online.
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