#galleryyuhself/Meet Wes and Elijah

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - We on it!

Long running children’s television show Sesame Street earlier this week highlighted a muppet family with ‘trini’ roots as part of its cast, stirring pride within its local audience.

The Show’s Facebook page on Wednesday shared newcomers Wes and Elijah, a father and son duo who were officially introduced to the Sesame Street cast in 2021 as part of its “Coming Together” outreach initiative regarding racism.

“Meet Wes and Elijah! They live on Sesame Street with Wes’ mom and their beloved dog, Bubba. Wes loves using his imagination, playing with friends, and going to kindergarten. His dad, Elijah, is a meteorologist who loves to be outdoors, preferably on a nature walk with Wes. They both love to cook – especially food from Trinidad, like roti!” the post read.

Elijah, a muppet weatherman has been part of sketches with his son discussing difficult topics including prejudice. In one sketch he is heard discussing his son’s Trinidadian links and the steel drum (steelpan).

“My son Wes is very good, he’s taking lessons from my wife on our homemade steel drum. But the other day wes didn’t want to play his drum. He told us that another kid at school said it sounded funny. It bothered me and I could tell it really bothered wes too. I realized I needed to take a pause. I reminded him because he plays the steel drums because it connects to his ancestors. Wes has African American roots from me and Caribbean roots from his mom. His parents come from Trinidad where the steel drum is played,” Elijah said.