With concerns of systemic racism becoming more and more of a mainstream topic, it’s of little surprise that more mainstream companies would start and continue to address such issues. Cartoon Network is only the latest to do so, and now they’ve tackled the idea more directly in 30 seconds than many companies do with 7 days worth of sensitivity training.
In a short, barely half-minute PSA posted on Cartoon Network’s TikTok and shared on Twitter, the character Pearl from the network’s immensely popular Steven Universe stands at the head of a classroom pointing out the inaccuracies in American history books that reinforce many cases of systemic racism today. “These textbooks are incomplete,” she says, leafing through a textbook, “there were Black Roman warriors, Black medieval knights, Black classical musicians, Black cowboys, Black fighter pilots, where are they?”
“Thanks to systemic racism,” she continues, addressing the viewers directly, “most of your storytellers prioritized white accomplishments which leaves you with an incomplete picture. Ask yourself as you’re learning history, who’s 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?” The PSA ends there, but the questions linger. The video sparked discussions all over Twitter from many who agree as well as a rather expected pushback from others. But aside from the importance of the issue itself, perhaps one of the big reasons Cartoon Network began trending is due to the surprise that they would address such a sensitive subject so directly like this.
For those unaware of the term, systemic racism (also known as institutional racism) refers to a broad form of discrimination that is effectively embedded in the very ways a society or organization operates. The idea is that throughout history, there have been policies in place that have made it more difficult for non-white people in the United States (for example) to move up in the world, ensuring white voices are the ones more often expressed and heard. As a result, history books have been not only predominantly written by white authors, but they’ve also focused more on white accomplishments. Systemic racism is the term that attempts to explain why, even though there are important historical figures of all races, a large number of people don’t learn about them in school as they do white figures. It’s not necessarily actively malevolent; it’s just the result of antiquated practices that were unfair (and yes, largely malevolent).
As such, it’s understandable that Cartoon Network’s PSA would come as a surprise to so many. This is the same channel that aired a show featuring a talking cow and chicken for 3 seasons. But maybe it’s not all that surprising in retrospect. After all, they did recently declare their support for the Black Lives Matter movement through the mouthpiece of Tom, the robotic host of the network’s late-night programming block, Toonami. While such an endorsement may seem like standard procedure when countless companies made similar statements over the summer, this new PSA may prove that theirs was more than just an attempt to uphold the status quo.
Regardless of the circumstances, many in social justice-focused circles are likely pleased with this move from Cartoon Network. Speaking out about systemic racism in a mainstream format will prompt many conversations that may not have happened otherwise. Hopefully, some good can come of it.
Source: Cartoon Network/TikTok, Rex Chapman/Twitter
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