Matt Schlapp, the president of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) called for PBS to be defunded after Sesame Street introduced Ji-Young, its first ever Asian-American Muppet.
In a tweet referring to popular longtime Muppet Ernie, Schlapp called PBS “insane,” adding that “we should stop funding you.”
PBS is funded by member station dues, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and its for-profit subsidiary National Datacast Incorporated (NDI) in addition to pledge drives and donations from both private foundations and individual citizens.
PBS has aired Sesame Street since 1970 and the inclusion of Ji-Young is just another example of the show’s long tradition of respecting diversity and promoting inclusion.
Ji-Young, Sesame Street‘s newest resident, is a seven-year-old Korean-American girl who loves to play her electric guitar and go skateboarding.
And in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ji-Young, who will formally be introduced in the upcoming See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special, explained her name’s significance:
“So, in Korean traditionally the two syllables they each mean something different and Ji means, like, smart or wise. And Young means, like, brave or courageous and strong.”
“But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame.”
Many have accused Schlapp of racism and reminded him that Ji-Young’s inclusion is simply Sesame Street doing what it does best.
