{"id":104131,"date":"2026-01-18T19:24:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T19:24:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/104131\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T19:24:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T19:24:08","slug":"almas-way-season-3-brings-black-cowboy-history-hair-identity-and-bronx-life-to-pbs-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/104131\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Alma’s Way’ Season 3 brings Black Cowboy history, hair identity, and Bronx life to PBS Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

When \u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 returns on Monday, the Emmy-nominated<\/a> PBS KIDS series arrives for Season 3 with stories rooted in history, identity, and everyday moments that help young viewers make sense of the world around them. From Black cowboy culture to hair as self-expression, the stories unfold amidst the vibrant backdrop of the Bronx.<\/p>\n

Created by \u2018Sesame Street\u2019 alum Sonia Manzano and produced by Fred Rogers Productions, \u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 has always centered cultural specificity without flattening it into lessons. Manzano says that approach comes naturally when you\u2019re committed to authenticity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bronx has so many different kinds of people in it,\u201d Manzano said. \u201cIf we\u2019re going to show an authentic place, we have to show the authenticity of all the people who live there.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the show\u2019s main family is Puerto Rican, Manzano says the neighborhood itself demands a broader lens. \u201cThere\u2019s so much happening there,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of bodegas are run by people from Bangladesh, usually, as opposed to Puerto Ricans when I was a kid. But there are still bodegas. It\u2019s rich, and we\u2019d be fools not to take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"still\u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 \u2013 Credit: PBS Kids<\/p>\n

The Season 3 premiere episode, \u201cCowboy Howard,\u201d reflects that commitment by introducing young viewers to Black cowboy history, a story that Supervising Producer Mia Olufemi says felt especially urgent right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cSonia and I were talking when \u2018Cowboy Carter\u2019 came out,\u201d Olufemi said. \u201cThere was so much conversation about who belongs in country and who doesn\u2019t. I had also seen \u2018NOPE\u2019 by Jordan Peele, which got me interested in looking into Black people in the West. The first subject of a motion picture was a Black cowboy. A Black jockey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up, Olufemi said, those stories were largely absent. \u201cYou never knew there were people of color in cowboy history,\u201d she said. \u201cThat cowboys were typically Black, Indigenous, and Latino.\u201d<\/p>\n

To get it right, the \u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 team worked closely with Aisha McElroy of the Black Cowboy Coalition<\/a>, who advised on the episode. Olufemi shared McElroy\u2019s personal connection to the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe wanted to be a Black cowgirl all her life,\u201d Olufemi said. \u201cShe never thought she could be one because she never saw one until a Black cowboy rode past her house in West Oakland.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sense of access is central to the episode. \u201cHoward reads about a historical figure, but then he actually gets to meet a cowboy in the Bronx,\u201d Olufemi said. \u201cThat\u2019s a reality kids can access.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Manzano, the timing felt right. \u201cCowboys are an idea whose time has come to be celebrated,\u201d she said. \u201cChildren live in the same world we do. They don\u2019t live in a fantasy world. They see what\u2019s going on around them, and we want them to feel like they\u2019re part of the society they\u2019re born into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notably, \u201cCowboy Howard\u201d also reframes what cowboy culture looks like for kids. \u201cWhen you think of cowboys, you think of gunslingers,\u201d Manzano said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the whole story. It was horsemanship more than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alma's\u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 \u2013 Credit: PBS Kids<\/p>\n

Another episode from the Season 3 premiere, \u201cJunior\u2019s Hair Salon,\u201d brings that same care to conversations about hair and identity. The episode was inspired directly by Manzano\u2019s own experiences growing up in the Bronx.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother used to go to the beauty parlors,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019d hear all the gossip, and then they\u2019d shush you when you walked by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those early experiences shaped how she later thought about representation. \u201cWhen I first got on \u2018Sesame Street,\u2019 I didn\u2019t know \u2014 should I leave my hair natural? Should I put in curlers?\u201d she said. \u201cThe way I had my hair was so important because it represented me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PBS\u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 \u2013 Credit: PBS Kids<\/p>\n

Olufemi says that message translates easily for young viewers. \u201cYour hair is an extension of you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s okay to notice differences. My hair does this, my friend\u2019s hair does that. Both of those are good things. They\u2019re\u00a0\u200bthings\u00a0\u200bthat\u00a0\u200bwe\u00a0\u200bshould\u00a0\u200btalk\u00a0\u200babout, and\u00a0\u200bwe\u00a0\u200bshouldn\u2019t\u00a0\u200bbe\u00a0\u200bafraid of having\u00a0\u200bconversations\u00a0\u200babout\u00a0\u200bthat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Season 3 also allows \u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 to explore heavier topics with the same intentionality. Manzano shared that this season, the show will touch on housing insecurity in subtle ways. \u201cNobody\u2019s sleeping on the street,\u201d she said. \u201cBut there\u2019s no heat in a building for a while, and the community comes together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olufemi added that the season also addresses grief directly. \u201cWe will have a member of our beloved community pass away,\u201d she said. \u201cKids have real questions. Can you be happy and sad at the same time? Is it okay to ask if your parents are going to pass away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Those conversations, she said, reflect a core belief. \u201cKids live in this world with us. They experience these things alongside adults, and they need support to navigate them\u2026 We\u2019ll be providing\u00a0engagement\u00a0\u200bresources\u00a0\u200bfor\u00a0\u200bparents\u00a0\u200bto\u00a0come\u00a0\u200bback\u00a0\u200band\u00a0\u200btalk\u00a0\u200bto\u00a0\u200btheir\u00a0\u200bkids\u00a0\u200bafter\u00a0\u200bthey\u2019ve\u00a0\u200bseen\u00a0\u200bthe\u00a0\u200bepisode.<\/p>\n

As public media faces ongoing scrutiny<\/a>, both Manzano and Olufemi remain grounded in purpose. \u201cPBS is undergoing a lot of changes, but it\u2019s prevailing,\u201d Manzano said. \u201cIt might not be in the form that we\u2019re used to, but it will morph into other forms of responsible programming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olufemi is even more direct. \u201cPBS is not going anywhere,\u201d she said. \u201cThese are important stories that we need to tell. And there are companies like Fred Rogers Productions where our goal is really to make sure that every kid sees themselves in the media they consume. Fred\u2019s messages were all about \u2018there\u2019s nobody else like you,\u2019 \u2018you are unique,\u2019 \u2018you are wonderful.\u2019 \u2018In times of strife, look to the helpers.\u2019 These are all messages that kids and families need, now more than ever. As long as there is a television or a streaming device, we will find a way to tell these stories and make them free and accessible to kids and families throughout the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 Season 3 premieres Monday on PBS KIDS<\/a>, with \u201cCowboy Howard\u201d and \u201cJunior\u2019s Hair Salon\u201d available to stream on the PBS KIDS platform and airing according to your local listings. The episodes will be available on January 26 on YouTube. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When \u2018Alma\u2019s Way\u2019 returns on Monday, the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS series arrives for Season 3 with stories rooted…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,4683,560,9,24,63,2556,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-104131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-family","tag-kids","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-television","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}