'Sesame Street's' Luis played a vital role in so many children's upbringing
"Sesame Street" played an important part in my upbringing: The funny characters, the lessons you learned on counting and reading, and all the songs.
But what made it truly special for a Latino kid in urban Chicago watching the television was seeing the faces of people of all different backgrounds playing major roles on the show.
This told me and many other little children like me that we were seen and that we could grow up to be honorable men and women who made a difference in the lives of our neighborhoods.
On March 10, actor Emilio Delgado, who played Luis on "Sesame Street" for 45 years, died.
His presence is a significant departure from the representation of Latinos as gangsters, criminals and bandits that I saw too often growing up in the 1980s.
Luis showed that kindness mattered and that people could learn to respect each other despite their differences — human-to-human, human-to-Muppet and Muppet-to-Muppet (the Elmo-Rocco feud notwithstanding).
When I shared an Instagram story about Delgado's passing, my cousin Brian replied with sad teardrop emoji.
He and I grew up watching the show, and while our families were involved in our lives, the program filled in some blanks because they worked long hours.
Yes, we were sad, but we were also grateful to Luis for the wonderful memories.
Scroll to read the story.
In this week's newsletter, you will also find:
A guest essay by Gini Pupo-Walker of The Education Trust and Nashville School Board about Gov. Bill Lee's proposal to change the way K-12 public schools are funded. It's part of a series of essays on the topic.
Story from USA TODAY about how Latinos were undercounted in the 2020 Census — at an even higher level than in 2010 — which has implications for community funding and representation in Congress.
Tennessean reporter Arcelia Martin was the pool reporter who covered the return of former Nissan executive Greg Kelly who was detained for three years in Japan.
¡Muchas gracias!
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network - Tennessee. He is of Colombian and Cuban descent, has studied or worked in several Spanish-speaking countries, and was the founding editor of Gaceta Tropical in Southwest Florida. He has lived in Tennessee since 2014. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 'Sesame Street' played a vital role in so many children's upbringing
