Hi—I was surprised by your naming Megan Peace as the first Black female actor on Sesame Street, as I used to watch that show all the time with my very young kids in the late 1970s & early 1980s, and I distinctly remember a Black woman who played a character named Susan. So I looked it up and discovered that yes, Susan Robinson was a character on Sesame Street played (from 1969 to 2016 according to Wikipedia) by Loretta Mae Long. Loretta Long earned a PhD and had a quite a rich career!
I wrote that Megan was/is the first Black Female MUPPETEER. Sesame Street began in 1969. My two oldest children were born in 1970 and 1973. We watched Sesame Street together every weekday after school and then all five reruns on Saturdays. I know Sesame Street inside and out and backwards and forward. I know there was Black male and female actors on Sesame Street from the very beginning, but except for the original “Elmo,” none were Muppeteers. The Black woman who played “Susan” was from my home state of Michigan. You should have learned to read from Sesame Street.
Oh yes, sorry! It’s been a long time since I watched Sesame Street and at the time I didn’t differentiate between actors and muppeteers, I just watched and enjoyed. My kids were born in ‘71, ‘73, and ‘75 (twins), so we were all watching around the same time every day! We also watch Electric Company right after. Highpoints of our day.
Thanks so much for this!! I will repost it on my social media. And send it to a coworker/friend who is impacted by one of these many executive orders. I was actually just watching the YouTube video memorializing Jim Henson's life and work, repeatedly earlier this week, and posting about it and him on Substack, to get me through a lot of very difficult feelings and emotions. Jim Henson is one of my biggest heroes of creativity and proponents of childhood literacy, diversity, female empowerment, agents of tolerance, and so much else; and a fellow Marylander (like me) as well. I'm on Bluesky as well, as www.storiesofresistance.org, please look me up, and check out my blog, https://storiesofresistance.org, if you get the chance. You'll find what I think are some pretty awesome (and often rather badass) stories of resistance & resilience there. Feel free to contact me too, I'd love to hear from you! I love puppeteers and stories about them, as well as learning about all kinds of creative people and projects. And I'm a huge feminist and proponent of diversity, equality and justice, as well, and LOVE hearing stories about amazing women who've accomplished incredible, pioneering things, especially in service of justice, democracy, and saving and helping others.
Hi—I was surprised by your naming Megan Peace as the first Black female actor on Sesame Street, as I used to watch that show all the time with my very young kids in the late 1970s & early 1980s, and I distinctly remember a Black woman who played a character named Susan. So I looked it up and discovered that yes, Susan Robinson was a character on Sesame Street played (from 1969 to 2016 according to Wikipedia) by Loretta Mae Long. Loretta Long earned a PhD and had a quite a rich career!
I wrote that Megan was/is the first Black Female MUPPETEER. Sesame Street began in 1969. My two oldest children were born in 1970 and 1973. We watched Sesame Street together every weekday after school and then all five reruns on Saturdays. I know Sesame Street inside and out and backwards and forward. I know there was Black male and female actors on Sesame Street from the very beginning, but except for the original “Elmo,” none were Muppeteers. The Black woman who played “Susan” was from my home state of Michigan. You should have learned to read from Sesame Street.
Oh yes, sorry! It’s been a long time since I watched Sesame Street and at the time I didn’t differentiate between actors and muppeteers, I just watched and enjoyed. My kids were born in ‘71, ‘73, and ‘75 (twins), so we were all watching around the same time every day! We also watch Electric Company right after. Highpoints of our day.
Thanks so much for this!! I will repost it on my social media. And send it to a coworker/friend who is impacted by one of these many executive orders. I was actually just watching the YouTube video memorializing Jim Henson's life and work, repeatedly earlier this week, and posting about it and him on Substack, to get me through a lot of very difficult feelings and emotions. Jim Henson is one of my biggest heroes of creativity and proponents of childhood literacy, diversity, female empowerment, agents of tolerance, and so much else; and a fellow Marylander (like me) as well. I'm on Bluesky as well, as www.storiesofresistance.org, please look me up, and check out my blog, https://storiesofresistance.org, if you get the chance. You'll find what I think are some pretty awesome (and often rather badass) stories of resistance & resilience there. Feel free to contact me too, I'd love to hear from you! I love puppeteers and stories about them, as well as learning about all kinds of creative people and projects. And I'm a huge feminist and proponent of diversity, equality and justice, as well, and LOVE hearing stories about amazing women who've accomplished incredible, pioneering things, especially in service of justice, democracy, and saving and helping others.