'Steven Universe' Takes on Racism in New Cartoon Network PSA

Cartoon Network unveiled a new PSA promo titled See Color featuring Steven Universe's Amethyst (voiced by Michaela Dietz). The ad opens the purple alien on the set of a commercial with two other kids. Everything seems to go swimmingly until she and the kids sing, "It doesn't matter if you're White, Black, or Purple." Amethyst suddenly stops the production. "Who wrote this? I think it kinda does matter that I'm purple. I mean, I'm purple because I'm literally an alien," they ask. "I just think it's messed up to compare me being an alien to you two being different races. You're both human; you're totally biologically the same. Adding purple people into a lesson about human racism makes no sense."

"I think people want the Black, White, or the Purple thing because adding a fantasy race in there helps distract from the actual racism. Black people have to deal with," one of the kids adds. To which, the young Black girl responds, saying, "My experience with anti-Black racism is really specific. Other people of color experience other forms of racism too, but you won't see any of that if you don't see color."

The new spot serves as the third of four planned public service announcements from the show's creator Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey, creator of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes. The first PSA, Don't Deny It, Defy It, starring Garnet, was released in October; the next, named Tell the Whole Story and featuring Pearl, premiered in December. The ads' aim is meant to provide families with productive conversations concerning race while also dismantling outdated misconceptions on the concept. The overall concept from the latest ad says, "It's important to SEE people in all their beautiful COLORS. When you see color and the unique experiences that come from it, you can recognize the role racism plays in our culture AND appreciate everyone and their diversity."

See Color was developed in partnership with Dr. Deborah J. Johnson, a developmental psychologist. Dr. Johnson tells Animation World Network, "These PSAs offer a compact message of antiracism targeted toward messaging justice, fairness, inclusion and allyship based in research evidence. The PSAs are bold, bringing the complex issues of society around race, gender, identity, and inclusion intensely into focus in a language and with images children can understand. If we can capture children's attention and early learning around these issues, our society has a chance to make and maintain shifts in equity for the long term."