 "Don't worry, bro. None of this is canon." This article contains information on a subject that is not considered canon in Steven Universe.
|
The "Crystal Gems Speak Up Project" is a campaign created to teach kids how to detect and prevent racism. It currently consists of three out of four anti-racist PSAs.[1]
The fourth and final PSA is expected to be released in April of 2021, and star Steven Universe.
Ads
"Don't Deny It, Defy It"
Don't Deny It - Defy It - The Crystal Gems Say Be Anti-Racist - Cartoon Network
In this episode, one black boy and one white boy play together on the playground and suggest that they should get married when they're older. Another white boy comes up to them and states that black people can't marry white people. Garnet appears, and tells the kid not to be racist.
It's revealed that it wasn't real and they were on a television set shooting a PSA. One of the kids says that it was cheesy, and that stuff like this doesn't happen in real life. Garnet teaches him that it can and does happen in real life, even if it hasn't happened to him specifically.
He apologizes, and the black boy says that when people deny racism, it adds to the pain of having to deal with it in the first place. Garnet advises the boy to acknowledge racism to be able to work against it, which he agrees to.
Garnet then playfully teases the two boys about working on their argument before the wedding, which they immediately shoot down as just part of the script, before Garnet pulls up her visor and winks at the audience.
Garnet and the boys then jump into the air, with the text "Don't deny it. DEFY IT. Be anti-racist" appearing on the screen.
"Tell The Whole Story"
Tell the Whole Story - The Crystal Gems Say Be Anti-Racist - Cartoon Network
In this episode, Pearl is teaching a 5th-grade class and asks the students who the inventor of the lightbulb is. They at first answer American inventor Thomas Edison, only to be corrected by Pearl, who explains the invention could better be attributed to American patent draftsman Lewis Latimer that invented the filament inside the lightbulb, with the help of Holo-Pearl.
However, Pearl confusedly interrupts what is revealed to another television set shooting of a PSA, questioning why Latimer's reasoning for inventing the filament; to create a better standard of living for African-Americans recently freed from slavery, wasn't included in the script. She continues by asking why the question of Thomas Edison being taught in schools, as opposed to Latimer, wasn't asked by the PSA.
While grabbing and flipping through a textbook, Pearl states that there were many black Americans of various careers, yet they aren't included in the teachings of American history. Pearl expresses her worry for humans as their short lifespans result in their reliance on the stories of the past to know their own history, but because of systemic racism, storytellers prioritize the accomplishments of white people, leaving an incomplete picture of history.
Pearl encourages the audience to actively question history while they're learning it, namely, the questions "Who's telling the story?", "Was [history] modified to make white readers comfortable?", and "Are major details being left out that would credit people of color and center their point of view?".
Pearl then pulls out her script before commenting how she should've asked for script approval prior to doing the PSA, causing the director to say the crew will do rewrites and how they didn't know as a response.
Pearl then states that now they know, before changing the "Did You Know?" graphic to "TELL THE WHOLE STORY. BE ANTI-RACIST".
"See Color"
See Color - The Crystal Gems Say Be Anti-Racist - Cartoon Network
In this episode, Amethyst is singing about color blindness with a white and black girl in a treehouse for a children's series called Amethyst & Friends. While singing, Amethyst is taken aback by the inclusion of purple in the verse about the races the group accepts.
Interrupting the shooting of the show, Amethyst rhetorically questions who wrote the script of the episode, and states that it in fact does matter that she's purple, due to her being an alien.
The black and white girl chime in, commenting on the significance of their respective races, with the latter acknowledging that they are treated very differently because of their skin color.
Amethyst then condemns the comparison of herself being an alien to the girls being different races, as well as adding the illogicality of inserting purple people into a human racism lesson.
The white girl then explains that the reason a fantasy race such as purple is included with the black and white races: it distracts from the real-life racism black people deal with.
The black girl agrees, stating that different forms of racism experienced by people of color cannot be recognized if one "doesn't see color". Amethyst then realizes that the PSA in and of itself is likely meant to avoid discussing racism altogether.
As a result, she asks the director for a rewrite of the script where the trio appreciates each other, without erasing their differences. The director complies but warns doing so will add a couple of hours to the episode shooting.
The black and white girl agree to the extended time, but Amethyst instead suggests simply adding graphics to signify their message. Just that occurs, with the trio appearing above the words "SEE COLOR. BE ANTI-RACIST!".
"Be An Ally"
Be An Ally - The Crystal Gems Say Be Anti-Racist - Cartoon
TBA
Trivia
- The PSAs evoke the Saturday morning cartoon PSAs of the 80s and 90s, such as Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, various He-Man and GI Joe PSAs, Sonic Sez, and the D.A.R.E program. It even has 80s-like music and is made to appear as though it was on VHS.
- At the end of the first short, Garnet says the two boys needed to work their small argument out before "the wedding". The boys say they were just acting, but Garnet lifts up her visor and winks, presumably using future vision. This implies that the two boys might actually marry when they're older.