Sesame Place Hit With Lawsuit
Sesame Place, a theme park in Philadelphia, recently faced controversy over multiple accusations of racism. Since then, Sesame Place was hit with a $25 million class action lawsuit.
Three law firms came together to file the class action lawsuit. One of the families suing Sesame Place claimed racial discrimination as multiple costumed characters ignored their 5-year-old Black daughter. According to The New York Post, Attorney Malcolm Ruff stated:“Kennedi was forced to experience racism at the age of 5. This is not okay, and we won’t tolerate it any longer.
Kennedi’s father Quinton Burns, witnessed multiple Sesame Place characters ignore his child. These instances were caught on video. After seeing the initial video of the two young Black girls being ignored, Burns felt compelled to take matters into his own hands.
In response to the lawsuit filed by Burns, Sesame Place expressed, “We will carefully review Mr. Burns’ lawsuit and address it through the legal process. Our commitment remains to provide an inclusive, fair, and enjoyable experience for all our guests.”
Accused of Racism
Moreover, the initial accusations of racism were sparked by a video showing two Black girls being ignored by a Sesame Place employee. The mother who posted the video felt compelled to expose Sesame Place for its actions. The mother of the two young Black girls demanded that the employee be fired and since then, over 140 people have come forward with similar experiences at Sesame Place.
Furthermore, this video led to many other people sharing their experiences with Sesame Place and possible discrimination.
Sesame Place Apology
At the time of the incident, Sesame Place released an apology.
Moreover, in a tweet addressing the issue, U.S. State Representative Barbara Lee stated: “Blatant acts of racism are not just reserved for the history books, folks. This is despicable and shameful. No child should face racism and discrimination—especially not at @SesamePlace.”
Sesame Place should be a safe space for all children to play and interact with their favorite characters. However, the theme park’s actions affected many children and their families.
Since the original video came out, many other videos of apparent discrimination have surfaced. In response to the original video, Sesame Place argues that their employee did not ignore the Black girls on purpose. However, the multiple videos coming to light prove otherwise.
Remaining Silent
Since their initial apology on Instagram, Sesame Place has remained silent. They posted apologies to all social media accounts and have failed to offer any explanation since then. Sesame Place remains open at this time.
