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Sesame Place facing discrimination complaints after more videos of children being ignored come to light
Sesame Place is facing discrimination complaints after parents posted videos showing their children being ignored by a theme park character while other children in the area were greeted.
Langhorne, Pa. - After a viral video showing two children being ignored by a character at Sesame Place went viral, more videos surfacing sparking discrimination allegations against the Pennsylvania theme park.
The mother in the video alleges the character "Rosita" ignored her daughter and her cousin, who are Black, but went on to hug other children in the area.
The video has been viewed thousands of times on social media since being posted.
Since Sesame Place issued an apology after the now-viral incident, other parents have come forward with similar stories about how their children were ignored or mistreated by Sesame Place characters during visits. LaShonda Miles said her son and stepdaughter were denied a hug from a character after it just hugged another child.
"You see it happening, repeatedly happening to the same type of children, so it's obviously something," Miles told FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson. "I really think it's in that category of either discrimination or racism."
Social Justice leader Tamika D. Mallory spoke to TMZ about the incident and said she talked to the mother whose video touched off the firestorm of outrage. Mallory told the popular midday pop culture show that the mother was "crying because she was so disappointed in this entire experience."
"We decided immediately to put out a warning to other Black families, because the way that our children are treated in a country, we know is already dealing with extreme racial issues is very important to us," Mallory said on TMZ.
B'Ivory Lamarr, the family's attorney, told FOX 29 that they're seeking justice and accountability "for what we consider to be egregious acts by their employees." Lamarr claims that when the viral video cuts off, the costumed actor playing Rosita hugged another white child who was standing close to the snubbed sister.
"When the video cuts off that same performer went and hugged another Caucasian girl that stood beside those Black ones," Lamarr said. "I think that’s very disturbing, and I think it also shows intent."
He claims the whole ordeal has "resulted in severe harm" to the family and the family wants the person who played Rosita fired.
Sesame Place issued a second apology Monday night, saying, "We are taking actions to do better. We are committed to making this right. We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests. "
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit leader behind the production of the hit children's show, also shared a statement addressing the incident at Sesame Place, calling it "unacceptable."
"We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage with families and guests," the statement read in part.