the clouds away.

That's how Sonia Manzano spent her career for more than 4 decades.

The actress hung out with Big Bird Oscar, the Grouch and the whole game when she played Maria on the beloved program, Sesame Street Manzano was recently in Chicago where she spoke with Chicago comments and supporters about the importance of early Chicago, early childhood education.

We sat down with her while she was in town and took a trip down memory lane >> how did you get to Sesame Street?

It was such a wild time.

It was the late 60's.

The America was a different place.

It was an idealistic, place that was the civil rights movement and and Joan Ganz, Cooney had this brilliant idea of using television too, to reach underserved children.

Remember on a talk show, she said.

The people who run the world can read, therefore, these children have to know how to read.

it was an exciting time and I simply got cast.

I think the most important things happen.

See when you're not paying that much attention.

I was in a Broadway show.

I didn't realize it was going to go on and for so many years.

What was the importance of your role on Sesame Street at the time?

Because there was not a lot of Latino representation on television I love the show even before I was on and I saw it.

>> At the student union of Carnegie Mellon University, I walked in and there was a very bold, very young James Earl Jones reciting the Alphabet.

I said, why is goes show that live breathing?

Because, you know, very deliberate.

as he the letters last rovers had.

I said, what the heck is this?

But I saw Susan Gordon.

This beautiful African-American couple.

I was stunned because at that time we did not see people of color on television.

If you did, they were in the beautiful, says board and they certainly weren't any let Latinos.

And I was born and raised in the Bronx watching a lot of television and wondering how could I contribute to a society that didn't see me?

You know, I was imminent.

I didn't see people like me.

People say it won't be a teacher.

When you grow up.

I don't know why medicine order.

Reagan teacher, you know, you do.

If you can't see it, you can't be it.

And that moment of of seeing Susan important.

Gave me a little inspiration.

Did you know that the show would be as groundbreaking as it went on to be?

No, no one could have possibly known.

It was a perfect storm.

I always think of the Beatles, you know, the Beatles separately, a great musicians, but they're not.

They became as loop and we had Jim Henson.

Puppets them up and tear Joe Ripp Pozo a brilliant composer who was able to write real music for 4 children.

Johnstone who was a visionary as far as television goes.

And this is a great crash of creativity and and civil involvement compared to your time on Sesame Street and that what that show provides.

How does your new show Alma's way?

How does it address the learning needs of children today of the good people at PBS?

Kids asked me create a show.

>> Latin family show side.

course I made it mild neighborhood in the South Bronx is where Alma and her family.

>> Lives and I took cues from Sesame Street's Sesame Street, looked around society and said kids leave this and that's what we provided.

So I looked around today, like I said, what it means.

and ice overcrowded classrooms.

Kids who didn't speak English.

A lot of testing and a lot of kids who if they couldn't pass tests or could memorize information.

thought they were in smart.

So the idea of Alma's way is to make sure kids everybody has a brain.

Everybody can put 2, 2 together.

That's just a given so that these children who are might be underserved or in stressful situations, don't think just because they can't pass a memorize information at the same moment that the next kid does.

That's where we're having.

We want everybody to learn everything.

At the same time that has nothing to do with intellectual powers.

Have you noticed a shift children's educational programming and how kids are taught today?

People ask me this all the time.

Kids haven't changed, but what we expect of them has changed.

We expect them on the Internet because of COVID to get classes were held on television.

So we expect that of them.

We expect them to learn at the same moment as their peers as I am mentioned before, not their own pace.

They are still as curious as they have a word.

Seems like in some ways you could have did become a teacher.

>> I guess I just observe what's going on around me.

And I'm very curious this place.

me a family center was waiting in the Durham.

A kid comes in and says blueberry muffins.

I mean, she was ready to identify the objects around us.

You must been around 3.

You've written a number of children's books throughout your career.

What inspired you to write your memoir Becoming Maria?

>> Becoming Mary 11 chaos in the South Bronx.

What I guess you get to a certain where you want really >> a sense of your journey and the only way to make sense of it I thought was too taken outside of myself and and righted and write it down.

had to see family hadn't seen in many years in order to.

Come to understand how we all impacted each other's lives in your book, you also talk about feeling invisible even in your own house and the struggles that happened while you were growing up.

>> But the moment you learn to read, that's when it change.

How you saw yourself.

Yes, yes, I was raised in a household that was ruled by domestic That took precedent over everything was always.

That was the ruling.

The House we're eating chicken, Jane books at school and I was.

Always ahead and the teacher would not let me turn the page.

I didn't know why we read these books.

And one day I was on this.

3rd avenue el.

That's why love the trains here in Chicago.

And I was looking at the has amassed my sister.

What did they say?

And she want to try reading it.

I thought reading at the reading was something only did in school and taken Jane Books.

Well, saw the ads and all of a sudden the words just fell into place.

And I sound of the words out and it was like the world open to me.

And I say that's not anywhere.

You read signs.

And that was exciting moment And it showed me.

>> You don't have to take a kid the whole way.

Just point them in a certain direction.

Just say try reading it.

And, you know, I took to the rest of What is your reaction to what's happening with this administration and its attempts to cut funding for PBS?

It's awful as as as one might imagine.

It's distracting >> I hate to even talk about it because it's like giving it power almost maybe the administration will change its mind.

It goes back and forth I'm not sure what it stands for because it goes back and So I don't know.

We'll see what happens.

It certainly is distressing.

But but people will prevail.

What's next for Sonia Manzano?

I want to work on another book.

It certainly is disconcerting that there's a new re sure of history, a desire to do that in this country.

So I feel I want write more Puerto Rican stories so we are not forgotten.

>> Thank you for joining us.

I appreciate Thank you.