Here’s Why ‘Sesame Street’ Theme Park Sesame Place Is Coming Under Fire For Alleged Racism

Breaking Business Here’s Why ‘Sesame Street’ Theme Park Sesame Place Is Coming Under Fire For Alleged Racism Alison Durkee Forbes Staff New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jul 28, 2022, 11:12am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline SeaWorld-owned theme park Sesame Place was sued for $25 million Wednesday for alleged race discrimination after a Black child was ignored by characters at the park, part of a broader controversy over the Philadelphia-area attraction’s allegedly racist practices sparked by a separate viral video showing a performer snubbing Black children. A performer dressed as the character Rosita waves off Jodi Brown’s daughter and another 6-year-old .

. . [+] Black girl at Sesame Place amusement park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, in a video posted on July 16.

Associated Press Key Facts Parent Quinton Burns filed a lawsuit in federal court after his child and other Black kids were allegedly ignored by characters during a meet and greet on June 18, alleging performers portraying the Sesame Street characters Elmo, Ernie, Telly Monster and Abby Cadabby “refuse[d] to engage” with the Black guests but “readily engaged” with white ones. The lawsuit, filed against SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, Sesame Place and the performers in question, is seeking class action status to represent all Black guests who faced discrimination at Sesame Place at any point after July 27, 2018. The complaint alleges Sesame Place and SeaWorld committed “pervasive and appalling race discrimination” in violation of federal law, and also accuses the theme park of breach of contract and negligence by not adequately training their performers and hiring them despite their alleged racial biases.

The lawsuit was filed after a different family shared a video on July 16 showing the character Rosita snubbing two young Black girls and gesturing “no” when they asked for a hug, which went viral and drew widespread attention as that family has sought to hold Sesame Place accountable (they are not involved with Burns’ lawsuit). That video resulted in other videos being shared showing similar incidents involving Black children at the theme park and celebrities like Kelly Rowland and Whoopie Goldberg spoke out against the alleged discrimination, also leading the Congressional Black Caucus to request a meeting with Sesame Place’s president about the park’s practices. Sesame Place has issued multiple apologies regarding the initial video that went viral, and said in a statement about Burns’ lawsuit that it would review the complaint and the park is “committed to deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests.

” Crucial Quote “We’re here to make sure that justice is done to the families who did not have the experience at that park that they paid to get,” attorney Billy Murphy, who’s representing the Burns family in its class action suit, said at a press conference Wednesday. “And the reason they didn’t get the experience they paid and contracted to get is because of their race. ” Chief Critic Sesame Place has issued three separate apologies in light of the initial Rosita video going viral.

The company first claimed the Rosita performer “did not intentionally ignore the girls” and the incident was a “misunderstanding,” saying the character was instead gesturing “no” at someone else in the crowd who was asking the character to hold their child. After that apology came under criticism, Sesame Place then issued a second statement saying it “sincerely apologize[s]” to the family” and “we know that it’s not ok,” vowing to conduct additional employee training. It then issued a third apology on July 21, saying it “sincerely and wholeheartedly apologize[s]” to the family and it is the park’s “responsibility” to improve.

“To be very clear, what the two young girls experienced, what the family experienced, is unacceptable,” Sesame Place said. “It happened in our park, with our team, and we own that. ” Surprising Fact Sesame Place, which is located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is not owned or operated by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces Sesame Street, but rather the characters are just licensed out to SeaWorld.

Sesame Workshop has denounced the alleged racism displayed in the viral video, calling it “unacceptable” and saying it was in touch with Sesame Place “to ensure appropriate actions are taken and that incidents like this do not happen in the future. ” What To Watch For The lawsuit asks SeaWorld and Sesame Place to pay $25 million in damages, as well as for the court to order the theme park to offer an “unconditional apology” to the plaintiffs and to “Black America,” declare that Black citizens have a “federally protected right” to enjoy the theme park’s goods and services and bar Sesame Place from practicing any racial discrimination in the future. The plaintiffs are also asking for Sesame Place to implement additional mandatory racial sensitivity training and education for employees, and develop better screening methods in its hiring processes to weed out candidates with racial biases.

Further Reading Sesame Place controversy: Law firm files class action lawsuit against park on claims of discrimination (Fox 29 Philadelphia) Attorney Ben Crump joins family in call for action following Sesame Place snub (6 ABC) Black family snubbed at Sesame Place Philadelphia calls on park owners to turn incident into ‘teachable moment’ (Philadelphia Inquirer) ‘Racist Act’: New Video Surfaces in Sesame Place Controversy (NBC Philadelphia) Congressional Black Caucus requests meeting with president of Sesame Place amid controversy (The Hill) Follow me on Twitter . Send me a secure tip . Alison Durkee Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.