By: Alan Headbloom – Feel Like You Belong
Growing up Puerto Rican in the South Bronx of the 1950s and 60s was tough. Poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence, and being the “invisible minority” were daily occurrences. Yet, Sonia Manzano found her refuge in the performing arts, and the young dancer was poised to accept the job of a lifetime when the Children’s Television Workshop cast her as Maria on the now-acclaimed Sesame Street children’s program. After four decades of performing on PBS, author Manzano reflects on the importance of children of color seeing themselves represented in the media–both on the stage and behind the camera.
Alan Headbloom hosts Feel Like You Belong, a show filmed at WKTV that is focused on sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States.
