Sonia Manzano is an award-winning actress and writer, but for more than four decades, and to countless children — and their parents — who grew up watching Sesame Street, she's simply Maria. Manzano announced this week that after 44 years on the children's program, she won't be coming back next season.

She made the announcement at the American Library Association, where she talked about growing up as a Puerto Rican in the South Bronx. She told the group she often wondered what role she would play in a society where she felt invisible.

Sesame Street gave her a chance to change the face of television.

"Imagine yourself, you're a kid and you're watching a lot of media, and you never see anybody that looks like you, talks like you, or lives in a similar neighborhood that you live in," she said. "Sesame Street wanted to stop that, or remedy that, and they did that by hiring a diverse cast."

Manzano said the show's mission when it premiered in 1969 was to end racism — and though the program made a big impact, Manzano said there's still work to be done.

For her part, Manzano will continue writing, having caught the writer's bug. She has two books, including a memoir, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx, and a children's book, coming out in August and September, respectively.

Click play for Manzano's interview on All Things Considered on WNYC, and share your favorite Maria moments in our comments section.