Why do the girls want a TV?

Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern want a television set because they are quite bored with their California vacation, which has not been as entertaining as expected. A television set would help them liven the house up; for instance, they would be able to watch “cartoons on Saturday, funny shows after dinner, the evening news and true crime shows.” Since their mother, Cecile, demands a quiet environment where she can work, Delphine, the oldest of the three girls, thinks that a television set is a great idea as the children rarely fought or made noise while watching the TV. She thinks that a portable TV kept in their bedroom would least distract their mother while also keeping them busy and out of her way. They also tell Cecile that they would like to watch the “Mike Douglas show” and “Motown groups, James Brown and Aretha Franklin.” They even have their own games where they count the number of colored people or the number of words said by colored people on TV.
So far, the children have spent most of their free time at the center, where they take breakfast, then attend a class taught by Sister Mukumbu. Afterwards, they play at the park until their mother is willing to allow them into the house. Naturally, they want to have some fun during their vacation, hence their request to be allowed a TV.