The United States is deeply divided on the issue of race. It pervades politics, culture, and society, impacting every aspect of daily life:
health care, housing, education, and employment.
In a bold effort to combat “the environment of racism” a unique public health initiative arises,
far ahead of its time, an initiative that falls at the crossroads of popular television and public education.
[Music]
The first children’s television series of its kind to directly focus on race, racism, and racial isolation,
and the first publicly-funded television series to be broadcast on both public and commercial stations,
as well as cable television,
Vegetable Soup premiered in the fall of 1975,
garnering national attention.
Although it ran for only two seasons, the circumstances of its broadcast were remarkable and unprecedented…
Vegetable Soup embraced animation, live-action, comedy, drama,
and documentaries as a means to address and celebrate the importance of multicultural diversity in America.
This article by Dr. Jeffrey Reznick is the first to give Vegetable Soup the critical and extended attention it deserves
as an intriguing chapter in the history of efforts to change “the environment of racism.”
Through surprising research and rare interviews,
Dr. Reznick takes you behind the scenes of this unique public health initiative.
So, as the show invited its young viewers, “Come on along and join us”
in this issue of the Journal of Popular Film and Television
as we recover the story of this landmark series, consider what lessons it holds for changing the persistent environment for racism in America,
and discover what one clinical psychologist aptly described as “a noble experiment in human values.”
[Music and singing]