Besides outlining struggles in a changing media industry and discussing diversity, Sonia Manzano also wanted to debunk a popular myth.
“Let me take this moment to tell you – Ernie and Bert are not gay,” said Manzano, who played Maria on “Sesame Street.” “The rumor is a result of the cynical society we live in.”
Manzano spoke about the “grown-up” messages of the popular children’s show Monday night to an audience of about 60 students at the Technological Institute, co-sponsored by Alianza, Peace Project and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Besides using funds from the Student Activities Finance Board, event organizers received the NUnite grant, awarded to two student groups that have not worked together in the past, for Alianza and Peace Project’s joint efforts to bring Manzano to campus.
The two groups have similar goals in promoting diversity. Alianza Co-Vice President Ivette De Moya said members hoped the celebrity would bring in students from diverse groups on campus.
“She’s someone that people grew up seeing,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “Not just Hispanic people on campus.”
Alianza members wanted to choose someone different from speakers of previous years, so they invited someone from the television industry, said Alianza President Aldo Gallardo.
“Usually, we have more political activists and this is spin on that,” the Weinberg junior said.
But Manzano’s jokes and a five-minute video montage of “Sesame Street” scenes didn’t take away from the serious message of her speech, Gallarado said.
Manzano, a first-generation American, talked about her struggles as a Latina actress constrained by racism in the media. “Sesame Street” allowed her to be herself and take a role in changing those views, she said.
When Manzano started working on the show, she never saw anyone of color on television in serious roles, she said.
“You have to see yourself reflected in society if you want to be part of it, or you will be limited to what you see,” she said. “On ‘Sesame Street,’ I was given the chance to provide for children that role model that I never saw as a kid.”
In addition to playing Maria on the show, Manzano also wrote scripts for “Sesame Street.” She has won 15 Emmy Awards for script writing and has authored two children’s books. Writing for the show allowed Manzano to represent her Latino culture, and she joked that she was responsible for getting the Muppet Snuffleupagus to dance the mambo.
While the television industry now shows more racial diversity, Manzano still criticized many of television’s limitations that cause the audience to lose its ability to look at shows critically.
“Some shows don’t inspire the viewer, but tell people what to think,” she said. “Most shows don’t start out with a creative idea but a marketing concept.”
On today’s “Sesame Street,” the Cookie Monster eats healthy foods and even Manzano’s favorite Muppet, Oscar the Grouch, feels the need to be politically correct, she said.
“Forget about Oscar the Grouch,” she said. “You couldn’t have a negative character in our politically correct world.”
Medill sophomore Amalia Oulahan, a member of Peace Project, said she grew up watching “Sesame Street” and learning from the show.
“I think ‘Sesame Street’ is a cultural institution, especially for our generation,” she said. “A lot of the views we have about the way things work, we got watching ‘Sesame Street.’ ”
Other students, including De Moya, felt a bit star-struck meeting Manzano.
“She’s an icon,” De Moya said. “This is like meeting a superhero.”
