Sesame Workshop, the production company that oversees the legendary children’s show, ‘Sesame Street,’ is in some hot water lately. Sesame Place issued a statement calling the alleged snubs a misunderstanding. However, the Black family clapped back at that explanation.
A video recently went viral showing a character at the Sesame Place amusement park allegedly showing bias against two young black girls. The Black family whose kids were snubbed by a Sesame Place character claim that a fresh video undermines the theme park’s earlier account of the embarrassing episode.
As you may recall, Sesame Place released a statement after the original viral video. In the video, the Rosita character “confirmed that the ‘no’ hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person, rather it was a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not permitted.”
According to lawyer B’Ivory LaMarr, this new, wider angle, from the opposite side of the parade route, doesn’t support that, which could be a problem for Sesame Place. The youngsters who attempted to contact with Rosita are her daughter and niece. According to TMZ, LaMarr, who is defending their family, thinks the additional video that his legal team has received disproves the park’s assertion.
LaMarr doesn’t see anyone give Rosita a child to hold, at least not close to the females. To be fair to Sesame Place, the video is filmed from across the street, so any possible interaction between parents and whoever is dressed as Rosita cannot be heard. LaMarr also believes that Rosita’s rejection gesture was directed primarily towards the Black girls in the new video.
The Rosita performer did not purposefully disregard the girls and is upset about the misunderstanding, according to Sesame Place, so if that were the case, it would be significant. As we’ve previously documented, additional videos of comparable events at the park have come to light. Sesame Place has pledged to tighten things up with bias training and an extensive examination of how park employees interact with visitors.
LaMarr reported that he has received a deluge of calls from people who attended the same Sesame Place procession as Jodi and the girls. According to LaMarr, local activists like Tamika Mallory are planning rallies to mobilize those who have been offended by the viral video. He claimed that the Brown family’s ultimate objectives are to have the person who was wearing the Rosita costume fired and to have Sesame Place issue a true apology, both of which they believe have not yet occurred.
According to Sesame Place, they are in touch with LaMarr and have offered to meet with him and the family to personally apologize and own responsibility for what occurred. In addition to working with globally renowned specialists to provide a more inclusive and equitable experience at the park, the park claimed that the previously mentioned bias training is now required for all personnel.
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