Most of us can agree that we learned nearly everything we needed to know about life from watching PBS kid shows like “Sesame Street.” The show, set on a fictional street designed to look like part of a New York City neighborhood, was created by educators back in 1969 to help level the playing field in our inner city schools, preparing the youngest students of color to learn.
Suggested Reading
The cast, intentionally chosen to represent all walks of life, has always been diverse – even the puppets come in almost every color of the rainbow (even though we are fully convinced that Ernie was meant to be Black).
But now, the future of educational programming like “Sesame Street” that has helped young people for generations is in jeopardy, after President Donald Trump signed a bill on July 31 that would eliminate more than $1 billion in public broadcast funding through 2027. As a result, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has helped fund independent PBS and NPR stations across the country since 1967, announced that it will eliminate most of its staff by Sept. 30 as it prepares to shut down.
“The ripple effects of this closure will be felt across every public media organization and, more importantly, in every community across the country that relies on public broadcasting,” said NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher in a statement.
The cuts will require local stations to rely on alternative sources of funding, including corporate donations and viewer contributions, to keep their shows on air. But any cuts to educational shows on PBS stations will have a major impact on communities of color. From Franklin Roosevelt to Elmo to Arthur’s BFF Francine Frensky, we’re looking at some of the Black actors and puppeteers behind our favorite PBS children’s show characters.
Matthew Robinson
Actor-writer Matt Robinson was brought on as a producer of “Sesame Street” in the first season, helping the show’s creators reach Black children. He was eventually cast in the role of Gordon Robinson, one of the human characters on the block until 1971. Robinson was also the voice of Roosevelt Franklin, a Black muppet who taught Black history to his puppet classmates on the show.
Robinson passed away in 2002 at age 65 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Fun fact: Robinson’s daughter is actress Holly Robinson-Peete.
Megan Piphus Peace
In 2021, Megan Piphus Peace became “Sesame Street’s” first full-time Black woman puppeteer, playing a 6-year-old Black girl named Gabrielle. A self-taught puppeteer and ventriloquist, Peace started learning her craft at age 10 by watching old VHS tapes.
Morgan Freeman
Before “The Shawshank Redemption” or “Invictus,” legendary actor Morgan Freeman was one of the original cast members of “The Electric Company,” a Children’s Television Workshop show intended to teach reading skills to kids who were too old for “Sesame Street.”
Roscoe Orman
Actor Roscoe Orman played Gordon for 42 seasons on “Sesame Street.” Originally a theater actor, Orman was discovered while acting in a production at the Manhattan Theater Club.
Orman admitted in an interview that he wasn’t initially on board with the idea of being a part of a children’s show, but he said his first meeting with “Sesame Street’s producers changed his mind.
“I realized that this was something very different,” he said.
Loretta Long
Actress Loretta Long was one of the show’s longest cast members, playing the character of Susan Robinson on “Sesame Street” from 1969 to 2016. In an interview, Long said she practically lived on the “Sesame Street” set during the early days.
“It just went on and on because we had to sit while they transferred the film to tape, which is something they never do now,” she said. “We would go in in the dark and we would come out in the dark. And it got to be like, ‘What day is this again?’”
Bradley Freeman Jr. and Chris Thomas Hayes
In 2021, Black muppets Wes and Elijah were introduced to the “Sesame Street” cast as part of a racial literacy initiative. The father and his 5-year-old son were added to the cast to help young viewers understand what it’s like to be Black in America. Actors Chris Thomas Hayes and Bradley Freeman Jr. provide the character’s voices.
Kevin Clash
From 1985 to 2012, Kevin Clash was the actor behind the voice of one of the most beloved red puppets on “Sesame Street,” Elmo.
Clash left the role in 2012, after he faced allegations of sex with underage boys. According to ABC News, an investigation into the matter found the accusers’ claims were unsubstantiated.
Alaina Reed-Amini
Actress Alaina Reed-Amini was another one of the people in the neighborhood, playing the role of Gordon’s sister Olivia on “Sesame Street” from 1976 to 1988. Already a musical theater performer, she was the perfect addition to the upbeat children’s show.
Beginning in 1985, she did double acting duty, playing Rose Holloway on the sitcom “227.” Reed-Amini passed away at age 63 in 2009 after a battle with cancer.
Erica Lutrell
Canadian actress Erica Lutrell was the voice of Keesha Franklin, a young Black student on the PBS animated series, “The Magic School Bus,” from 1994 to 1997. Keesha was one of the students in science teacher Ms. Frizzle’s class, who set off on exciting educational field trips in every episode.
Northern James Calloway
As one of the show’s earliest cast members, singer-actor Northern Calloway played David, an employee of Mr. Hooper’s store on “Sesame Street.” But the accomplished theater actor, who was also battling mental health issues, left the show in 1989 and passed away in 1990.
Hattie Winston
Most of the first Gen X kids got their favorite reading lessons from actress Hattie Winston, who played Sylvia and Valerie the Librarian on “The Electric Company” from 1973 to 1977, If younger folks think she looks familiar, it’s probably because they recognize Winston from her time acting opposite Ted Danson on the sitcom “Becker” between 1998 and 2004.
Jodie Resther
Although her character was written as Jewish, Black Canadian actress Jodie Resther provided the voice of Francine Frensky, one of Arthur the aardvark’s best friends, on the popular PBS animated series “Arthur,” from 1996 to 2022.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.