Meet Megan Piphus Peace, Sesame Street’s First Black Puppeteer

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sesame street continues to write history despite its 53 years on the air. In 2020, the popular children’s show hired its first-ever black puppeteer. Megan Piphus Peace officially began her stint in September 2021 when she began voicing the character of Gabrielle, a 6-year-old black girl, as reported by Revolt.

Before starting her new job, Peace had no idea she was making history on Sesame Street. “I would have cried like a baby on the 123 steps if they had told me ahead of time,” she said because of them we can. “The sets of sesame street are like stepping into a fantasy. Being there is really something.

The 29-year-old first learned about puppets when she was 10 years old during a conference with her teacher at Vacation Bible School in Illinois. She could immediately relate to some of her favorite TV shows such as sesame street and Play with Lamb Chop. Her mother supported her love for the art by providing her with VHS tapes where she could learn puppetry. In elementary school, Peace started performing and discovered her passion for entertainment.

At just 15, she was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking the start of a successful career in puppetry and the first of many television appearances. She played on America’s Got Talent and also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jay Lenoaccording to Thanks to them we can.

“What I see as the magic of ventriloquism is sharing that experience with someone else and having them believe our conversations are real,” Peace told the outlet. “I realized the impact that writing could have on the audience, and that every age could learn something from the show. From then on, my goal was to have a theme… woven into every performance .

Peace attended college at Vanderbilt University, where she became known as “Vanderbilt Ventriloquist”. After earning a master’s degree in finance, she began a career in real estate. She continued to practice her passion for puppetry by performing on television shows. In 2019, she worked with the University of Cincinnati on a musical series teaching financial literacy to children. His work earned him two Emmy Awards – one for Best Composition and one for Best Children’s Short.

About Kyra: Kyra Alessandrini is a news writer at Girls United and a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in publications such as Time, The Hollywood Reporter, InStyle and Elle. Born in New York and raised in Paris, France, she is passionate about culture, street photography and travel.

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