As the old saying goes, “If you can see it, you can be it,” but unfortunately, many children don’t see themselves adequately represented in the media. This subconsciously limits their perceptions of who they can be and what they can achieve in the world.
A mother, Kaheisha Brand, uploaded a photo of her 2-year-old son Kenzo to Instagram last month and it was the perfect example of the joy a child experiences when being able to see themselves as part of the story.
Kenzo was watching Disney’s new animated film, “Encanto,” and seemed to notice that he looked a lot like Antonio, one of the characters in the film. “Encanto” is a musical adventure that tells the story of a family that lives in the mountains of Columbia.
Kaheisha took the photo because she found it was powerful to see people of color represented in ways she hadn’t experienced as a child. “It means the world to me, again, I didn’t have the same experience growing up,” she told Good Morning America. “I do believe there is power in representation and it does empower young black and brown children.”
“It made me feel emotional to know that my son was able to see this and have that experience,” his father, Keith Brooks, added.
Let’s hope that Kenzo dresses up like Antonio for Halloween this year and his mother posts it to her Instagram account. That would be a wonderful sight to see.