Artistic Significance: Edutainment can carry impactful stories

Carmen Sandiego came onto the scene in 1985 as a Hispanic criminal mastermind in an edutainment series baring her name.
She’s featured in everything from computer games to TV shows designed to teach people about history and geography.
However, until recently, Carmen served as a villain.
Despite the series taking her name, Carmen wasn’t the main character.
You played as or followed the story of ACME Detective Agency agents looking for Carmen as she traveled through space and time stealing whatever she wanted.
She either founded or led VILE, the Villains’ International League of Evil, which operates without concern for others.
I, like many others of my generation, had a bit of a crush on Carmen growing up. There’s something about a smart, confident woman with gadgets and a red trenchcoat.
Recently, Carmen got a face-lift and a new moral code in the Netflix series “Carmen Sandiego.”
Here, Carmen grew up in VILE, but left the organization when she learns of the pain stealing can cause people.
Instead, she teams up with a bother and sister from Boston, as well as the teenage cyber-genius Player, to work against VILE. Together, they steal from VILE or pieces the organization wants only to return them.
While the early versions of Carmen showed her as a flat character without very much dimension or interest, now she’s a flushed out character with hopes and goals that go beyond self serving. Of course, she maintains her air of mystery and flare.
The series is still educational, weeding in lessons on history, geography and humanity, but it also has a compelling story of a young woman trying to figure out who she is when she finds out her life has been a lie.
Considering its Black History Month, we shouldn’t ignore Carmen’s ethnicity (not that we ever should).
Throughout her history, Carmen’s been a strong, independent Hispanic woman, even if she’s been a villain for most of her life.
Her villainous nature served as a foil to The Chief, of ACME who -- for most interactions -- was a Black woman, strong in her own right as a commanding leader (although some versions showed The Chief as a white male).
While race was never at the core of Carmen’s story, and early iterations sometimes ignored her identity, the characters were cast by strong actors, regardless of race.
In some ways, that’s part of Carmen’s message; when you’re with the right people, race doesn’t have to impact your success.
Carmen has always paved her own path and made her own success.
That’s a message everybody, of any race, should hear and learn from.
Michael Shine is a staff writer at the Daily American Republic. He can be reached at mshine.dar@gmail.com.