Sesame Street Saved My Young Mind – Now We Need To Save It

When I grew up in the 1970s, my father often sat in an alcoholic or drug-induced stupor.

When he was left in charge, the TV served as the “adult” in the room for us. As a toddler, I thought of Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and the other residents of Sesame Street as my pseudo-family.

Sesame Street, now celebrating its 50th year, transported me to a place that felt safe and familiar.

My actual family moved at least a dozen times before I started kindergarten. Given our poverty and my father’s frequent encounters with the police, we rarely stayed in one place for long. So I m...