After continued backlash following an initial statement, the family space now says it knows what happened is not okay and is committed to making things right. In a statement Monday night, the theme park said it will conduct training for employees to “better understand, recognize and provide our guests with an inclusive, fair and fun experience.” The statement was in response to a video a mother posted online showing her two black daughters reaching out to the Sesame Street character “Rosita” during a parade at the park in Langhorne, Bucks County, on Saturday. The video shows the character giving high-fives to other attendees as he approaches the two children. Jodi Brown and her lawyer told CNN on Tuesday that Sesame Place character Rosita was intentionally racist towards her family. The mother claims the character said “no” and ignored her daughter and niece while interacting with other children. “Just after the character passed them, there was another little girl next to them who was of a different race and [Rosita] he hugged her,” Brown said. He said the character hugged the other child with two arms. “At that time I had already stopped recording the video… I was upset so I stopped the video because I thought ‘what just happened?’” “The fact that this happened, the fact that it’s going to be a key memory for them when it comes to Sesame Place is actually disgusting and unbelievable,” Brown added. In its initial statement Sunday, Sesame Place said in part: “The performer portraying the character Rosita has confirmed that the ‘no’ gesture that appears multiple times in the video is not directed at any specific person … rather it was in response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not allowed.” Sesame Place said, “The costumes the performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see them at lower levels, and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests.” In the initial statement, Sesame Place said the performer “didn’t intentionally ignore the girls” and was “devastated about the misunderstanding.” “We apologize to these guests for not delivering the experience they expected and are committed to doing our best to earn their and all guests’ visit and support,” the initial statement said. However, amid the fallout, several new videos have surfaced that appear to show similar incidents. The park has not responded to those videos, but says it has contacted the family since last weekend’s video and invited them for a special meet-and-greet opportunity with park characters. On Monday night, Sesame Place issued a follow-up to the original statement: “We sincerely apologize to the family for their experience at our park on Saturday. We know it’s not okay. We’re taking actions to make it better. We’re committed to making it right. We’ll be conducting training for our employees so they have a better understanding.” we recognize and offer our guests an inclusive, fair and fun experience. For more than 40 years Sesame Place has worked to champion the values of respect, inclusion and belonging. We are committed to doing a better job of making kids and families feel special, seen and included when they come to our parks.” B’Ivory LaMarr, who represents the family, said the park’s response is not enough. LaMarr stressed that he is still investigating what happened and considering all of their available options. Brown and LaMaar plan to hold a press conference Wednesday with more details. “At this point we ask for a genuine, genuine, apology, recognizing the harm caused by the outrageous conduct of the acts and doing the right thing, to repair the harm caused to these two young girls,” LaMarr said. he said. Sesame Workshop, the organization behind Sesame Street, issued a statement of its own: “Sesame Workshop is aware of the recent incident at Sesame Place Philadelphia, which we are taking very seriously. What these children experienced is unacceptable. We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will be conducting bias training and a thorough review of the ways they interact with families and guests. As a global non-profit educational organization with a mission to help children become smarter, stronger and kinder, Sesame Workshop has always stood for respect, inclusion and belonging and is committed to providing engaging, high-quality experiences for all children and the families. We hold our partners to the same high standards. We will continue to work with our long-time partner Sesame Place to ensure that appropriate action is taken and that such incidents do not occur in the future.” Copyright © 2022 WPVI-TV. All rights reserved.
