Rise Up, Sing Out! Representation for Young Black Children

People always conjure up the question of why representation matters? Why should young children consider watching shows that they heavily relate to? Well, the show, ‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ definitely gives you a reason why representation matters. 

‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ first episode premiered on February 2, 2022. The release of this specific show had such huge empowerment for the Black community, as it came out during Black History Month! Rise Up, Sing Out touches on topics such as cultural aspects, race, and how it is ok to be different in many ways. Yes, this show could touch on sensitive topics such as microaggression & racism, however, how are we going to learn things that occur in society if we don’t touch on these matters? What better way to address these matters in a children’s show.  It is always important for young children to learn to love themselves & embrace their culture within! 

One thing that caught not only my attention, but also the internets’ attention was a viral TikTok video showcasing a young black girl watching this show. In this video, the little girl is shown to be wearing a bonnet (a protective item used to take care of our hair). With her bonnet on, she is also shown watching the one of ‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ episodes called ‘Super Bonnet’. In this episode, the young black children were shown wearing their bonnets at a sleepover. Because of this, the young black girl watching this video was also aware that she had a bonnet! She begins to jump & becomes excited! Many supportive & positive comments were mentioned from this viral video. “Aww so precious! Yes, representation is everything! So happy this generation is being more exposed to it! Ain’t nobody gonna be able to tell them nothing hunny,” one person stated, on scoop.upworthy.com. Another user, ‘Infj_empath’, on Tiktok, commented that “I wonder how different a lot of lives would have been if we grew up being seen & affirmed.” Even a Pottsgrove Student, Tanayiah Williams says, “It is very cool that the media incorporates these types of things to teenagers. I get very inspired & influenced by these things.” 

Based on this show, black children from all around are able to fully express themselves in ways others might have not been aware of. Not only that, it allows this generation to grow up loving their roots compared to previous generations not being able to be endorsed into these types of topics!