Sesame Place addresses racism concerns after character appears to ignore Black girls
Sesame Place, a “Sesame Street” theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is being accused of racism following an encounter with one of its performers and two children.
The park has since called the situation a “misunderstanding” in a statement apologizing for the encounter.
In an Instagram video shared on Saturday, July 16, two girls appeared excited to meet “Sesame Street” character Rosita during a parade at the park. The performer in the Rosita costume interacts with other people along the parade route, but then appears to gesture “no” and walk past the young Black girls.
Both girls appear confused after the encounter with Rosita, the character known for being fluent in both English and Spanish.
The woman who took the video, the mother of the girls, said she will not return to the Philadelphia-area theme park.
“We were on our way out of Sesame Place and the kids wanted to stop to see the characters,” the mother said on Instagram. “THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO, then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!”
Musician Kelly Rowland is among the people who criticized the theme park, saying in an Instagram video that the encounter “made me so mad,” Billboard reported.
“Had that been me, the whole parade would’ve been up in flames,” Rowland said in an Instagram Story, which are deleted after 24 hours. “Are you serious?! You’re not going to speak to my child? And did you see that baby’s face at the end? The little one with the pink on? She deserves an explanation.”
Revered civil rights attorney Ben Crump called the character’s behavior “disgusting” and said on Twitter that the girls “did NOT deserve to be blatantly singled out and ignored.”
In a statement released on Sunday, July 17, Sesame Place said its employees “stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms.” The park said the masks the performers wear can make it difficult to see at lower levels.
The performer’s “no” gesture, according to the park, was made in response to multiple requests for Rosita to hold a child for photos, which is not allowed.
“The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding,” the park said. “We spoke to the family and extended our apologies and invited them back for a special meet-and-great opportunity with our characters. We apologize to these guests for not delivering the experience they expected and we commit to do our best to earn their and all guests’ visit and support.”
The mother, however, believes the statement was made “to save face,” she said in an Instagram Story. She called the statement “disrespectful and distasteful.”
“The character could’ve just waved to everyone or just kept walking out, but to blatantly look at my kids and say no! I’m not excepting that,” she said. “Don’t try to tell me he can’t see lower levels. He looked at them and said no. So embarrassing and hurtful.”
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown said she has “disdain” for how the performer treated the girls and said Sesame Place “dropped the ball with hiring AND that gaslighting statement.”
Reactions to the video and statement caused the theme park to trend on Twitter on Monday, July 18. Others shared videos of similar encounters where characters ignored Black children.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Sesame Place addresses racism concerns after character appears to ignore Black girls."