Sheetal Sheth on Bullies and Bullying

Actor Sheetal Sheth (ABCD, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World) has published a children's picture book. Always Anjali is about a conundrum familiar to many immigrant families. Parents often want to give their children culturally grounded names, only playground politics can be as cruel as the real thing and as grounded in prejudice.Sheetal says:

Anjali's journey in this first book is about confidence and courage. Her name is an entry point into a larger conversation. In this climate and 'otherness' that is being perpetuated, our kids need language and strong, positive examples. So many are struggling right now and I have had so many reach out to me sharing their stories. People of all backgrounds.

In a piece for Thrive Global, Sheetal talks about how the shift in public discourse in the real world affects children. Excerpt:

Last week, during an elementary school discussion I was conducting about bullying, one of the children asked, “But what if the bully is a grown-up?”

What if...?

The conversation in that classroom reflects the real world in an uncanny way, because children are us. With less experience, sure, but with their own clarity of perception and a knowledge of their own vulnerable place in the world.