GeoJournal

Dear Educator,

While Wonder Woman is well known, she is not the only female superhero. This article introduces students to Jiya, the lead character in Burka Avenger, which is a children’s television show from Pakistan. Jiya is a Muslim superhero who wears the traditional Islamic head covering called a burka. The article goes on to explain what a burka is and provides context for students. How amazed will your students be to learn about this unique superhero?

An Islamic female character is a big step forward for inclusion. Disney too has made strides to be more inclusive. Most of us are familiar with the classic Disney animation films about fairy tale princesses. Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, among other lead characters, have all been depicted as white. But with the Princess and the Frog, Disney created its first African American princess. The story is based on a famous old fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm. They were German. But of course, their tales were in written form, so the heroes and heroines are not shown. Disney decided to make the heroine of the tale directly relatable to African Americans. Of course, since the tale is timeless, it is relatable to all. But African American children can now see better representation of themselves on screen.

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