Disney Cartoon ‘The Proud Family’ Claims U.S. Is ‘Submerged’ in Racism and White Supremacy

A recent episode of the Disney+ cartoon series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is creating controversy for depicting America as a country “built on slavery, which means slaves built this country.” The show, which is rated TV-PG and is marketed for kids, also questions whether Lincoln freed the slaves and states that the descendants of slaves “have earned reparations.”

The episode “Juneteenth,” which aired on February 1, depicts a school performance by the teenaged main characters in which they intone the repeated refrain, “This country was built on slavery, which means slaves built this country.” It goes on to make the assertion that “the descendants of slaves in America have earned reparations for their suffering and continue to earn reparations every moment we spend submerged in the systemic, prejudiced racism and white supremacy that America was founded with and still has not atoned for.”

The scene later states, “We had Tubman, Turner, Frederick D., then they say Lincoln freed the slaves. But slaves were men and women, and only we can free ourselves,” appearing to downplay the role that the 16th U.S. president had in ending slavery in 1863.

The views expressed in the episode are intensely controversial beliefs about the historical founding of America that appear to be taken from critical race theory (CRT), a system of ideas that espouse the central premise that racism “is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.”

In 2019, The New York Times released “The 1619 Project,” a series of essays and an educational curriculum that introduced CRT into the mainstream public square by claiming that the American Revolution was fought “in order to ensure slavery would continue,” of which “The Proud Family” appears to be influenced by. The project was heavily critiqued by at least 17 of America’s leading historians (see here and here) as having numerous “factual errors” and “distortions.”

The “Proud Family” episode comes as Disney falls under increasing scrutiny for their production of movies and shows aimed at children that include not only CRT but other exceedingly contentious themes such as transgenderism and “queer theory,” which critics say are agenda-driven and overly explicit for young developing minds, which are unprepared to properly process the information.

In response to the controversy surrounding Disney, conservative leaders are speaking out to warn parents about what they say is a not-so hidden agenda that is influencing the massive and highly influential entertainment company.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” last week to explain why his organization produced the new documentary “Walt’s Disenchanted Kingdom.”

“I … would like to persuade at least some of the shareholders and other people at Disney to say, ‘Wait a minute, maybe we have gone too far … [Let’s] get back to our roots and have a family friendly institution,’” he said. “Why are we trying to do this to kids?”

Donohue continued, “I’m hoping, at the very least, Disney will tap the brakes and rethink this whole idea of going down the lane of the woke agenda.”