The new Disney Jr. show Rise Up, Sing Out is obsessed with racial identity and racial equity and, under the guise of being a star-studded, music-induced cartoon kids show, it’s lecturing children about leftist doctrine and microaggressions.
“Thanks to Disney Jr., parents, family, friends and children themselves have a tool to aid them in tearing down the walls built by bigotry and ignorance,” the St. Louis American said of the show.
The show features cartoon children singing and dancing in musical shorts, each lasting 2-3 minutes, about race and culture among a range of topics, from skin color differences to concerns about natural hair. Per the St. Louis American:
The children grapple with the harsh realities of implicit bias and the trauma that comes with bearing witness to racial violence. Before bedtime, Gabriel confesses to his abuela that he is terrified after seeing the news where he saw someone suffer simply because they had the same skin color as he has. ‘This world may seem unfair at times, but whenever you’re afraid, just keep In mind, that I’ll be here,’ she responds.
The songs were written by Amir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, who also served as executive producers.
“The ‘Rise Up, Sing Out’ shorts touch on a lot of real-world issues, especially for young Black kids, that just weren’t talked about when we were growing up,” Questlove and Black Thought said in a statement.
“The beautiful thing about these shorts is that not only are they going to provide young kids the proper language to talk to their friends and family about some of the things that might be bothering them, but it’s also going to give parents the tools on how to respond,” the added.
In the opening episode, Black Thought raps: “Racism in the world affects me and you, and it’s time to end it now. Come together, we’ll show you how. I feel real good showing love to the people in my neighborhood. If we love one another everybody can win, just talk to me if you want to be my friend.”
One short in particular that began to go viral on social media touches on the topic of microaggressions.
“A microaggression is when someone says or does something that makes you feel bad. Sometimes just because of your race,” a child says in the episode. “But you know what, he’s wrong. You should be proud of your skin, it’s what makes you-YOU!”
“We know just how you feel – and it wasn’t okay, the way she touched your hair and didn’t give you a say,” the group sings. “ Speak up, if you’ve got something to say. Or it’s okay to walk away. Speak up. Let ‘em know just how it is. We can change the narrative.”