her innate musical ability,” Vogel says. “We could see in her videos great potential, a lot of energy, and natural instincts. All of those things are important to this job. Plus, she’s such a good-hearted, kind person which, really, is so crucial to the way we all work together as a team.” When “Sesame Street” and CNN created a Town Hall, “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism,” in response to the George Floyd protests, Gabrielle was given a role, and the following fall Piphus Peace joined the cast as its first Black, female puppeteer. “I immediately got to work on something so crucial for families to discuss,” she says. “I didn’t have a hand in creating her, but she’s been a lot more involved on the street since 2020 and a huge part of Sesame’s initiative for promoting self-identity and belong-ing. Being Gabrielle has given me so much purpose in sharing with young children that they can be as confident as she is. I wish I was as confident and expressive as Gabrielle. Being able to portray a child who unapolo-getically loves herself and loves others and loves her community, it’s so special to me.” Everything’s A-OK Piphus Peace and Gabrielle hang out with Whoopi Goldberg on the set of “The View.” “I hope that Gabrielle becomes a beautiful new voice that can be recognized,” she says. playing a character, the more a little bit of who we are as a person creeps into the perfor-mance. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a brand-new character or one that we’re now the second or third-generation performer of, it’s a natural but necessary evolution for a charac-ter since we — as the actor — are giving that character a soul. That soul derives from the performer. The more I witness it, the more I see little hints of Megan come through in her performance of Gabrielle, which makes it so much more authentic and endearing with every bit she does. I love seeing performers develop into actors and masters of their craft. Megan is well on the way to that.” Piphus Peace relishes the impact she can have on the next generation. “I hope that Gabrielle becomes a beautiful new voice that can be recognized and hopefully several years from now an older child will come up and say, ‘I love when Gabrielle taught me this’ or ‘I love when Gabrielle helped me when this happened.’ They can grow up through the next stages of life through Gabrielle.” And she hopes to be an example to those growing up today. “Being a role model to other young, Black women gives me incredi-ble fulfillment. I was raised by a community of brilliant and encouraging Black women. Now, I have the opportunity to pour into young girls through creative ways. It means the most to me to be able to interact with young girls using Gabrielle.” a book that made it OK for kids to ask questions and get meaningful answers. The question-askers of today are the problem-solvers of tomorrow, and the world needs as many problem-solvers as we can get!” He hopes the book is an effective tool to encourage children to explore STEM careers. “By thinking of their hair and its connection to STEM, kids have the ability to Neil think of STEM as something Thompson close to them. What's closer to you than your hair after all? “Ultimately, though, no one controls whether they feel seen, they only control their own actions. I want the book to give kids the confidence (or at least the courage) to consider careers in STEM, not dismiss it because they don't think that STEM is for them.” Now, Gabrielle is just as much of a “Sesame Street” audience favorite as characters who’ve been around for decades, and Piphus Peace’s own star continues to shine brighter. She recently appeared on “The View” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” as well as local news broadcasts. The role has also made her a hit with a few toddlers who call her Mommy. “Probably the most special part of recording with ‘Sesame Street’ is recording content I know my kids will watch and that they will learn from.” Her castmates are also thrilled that she and Gabrielle are now regulars. “Gabrielle is such a strong, fun female character that evolves in every scene based on her au-thentic connections to each character,” says Carrara-Rudolph. “I literally get giddy when Abby and Gabrielle get to play together because our hearts are connected as friends, but we also enable each other to be joyful, full of wonder … and be goofy, creative and sentimental. I think she brings the best out in everyone. Gabrielle is smart, funny, determined and a force of positive energy!” Adds Vogel, “Sometimes the longer we’re A Love of Curls and STEM Neil Thompson is big into being a geek. According to his bio, he “teaches geeks, talks to geeks, and writes books for future geeks. With his company, Teach the Geek, he works with engineers and scientists so that they can communicate more effec-tively with nontechnical audiences.” In his book “Ask Uncle Neil: Why Is My Hair Curly?” Thompson uses hair as a ve-hicle to explore self-esteem while promot-ing an interest in STEM careers for Black children. In it, a young boy named Anthony has his mother, Jessica, exasperated, as they are running late. While getting ready, Anthony starts to wonder why his hair is different than that of his classmates. From there, Anthony speaks with his Uncle Neil, who uses science to answer Anthony’s question. “The inspiration for the book came from my nephew being an inquisitive child and asking me a question to which I didn't initially know the answer,” Thompson tells Diversity in Action . “I wanted to create PHOTOS: TOP COURTESY OF MEGAN PIPHUS PEACE; RIGHT COURTESY OF NEIL THOMPSON SUMMER 2023 | Diversity in Action 57
Diversity in Action Summer 2023: Page 59
