An upstander is someone who uses their voice and their actions to help others. Upstanders make their communities—and the world—better for everyone. Being an upstander means standing side by side with others to build a better world together.

How to Be an Upstander to Racism

Join Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Gabrielle, and Tamir to learn what you can say and do when you see someone being treated unfairly because of the color of their skin or fur.

Before watching the video with children:

• Tell children, “it’s important to speak up against racism and hate!” Explain that this music video is about taking action, and tell them to watch and listen carefully because they’re going to pick their own favorite line to sing later.
• As you watch, move along to the music however you like! Together, notice the different affirmations and try to remember as many as you can.

After watching, you might:

• Ask your children to share a sentence from the “Listen, Act, Unite” song and what it means to them.
• Talk to your children about the importance of ‘listening’ and asking questions.
• Talk to your children about examples of ways you can ‘act’ against racism. It is important to also share that this is not something we can do alone and White families should take action with communities of color.
• Find a community group that you could ‘unite’ with to support anti-racism causes.
• Whisper phrases from the song in your child’s ear when they most need to hear them.
• Sing it together… anytime, anywhere.