Sesame Place Philadelphia will now require employees to undergo diversity training following a lawsuit claiming that Black children and families were discriminated against.
This week, the company announced new mandatory measures to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion that will be led by several outside experts, including a former member of the U.S. Commission for Civil Rights and other community leaders. Every employee must receive the training by the end of September. Cathy Valeriano, the president of Sesame Place Philadelphia, says the swift action is meant to ensure that all attendees are being treated fairly.
“The actions we are taking will help us deliver on our promise to provide an equitable and inclusive experience for all our guests every day,” Valeriano said in a statement.
These new initiatives come as two young Black girls were discriminated against while visiting Sesame Place. In a viral video, the young children are seen trying to interact with one of the Sesame Street characters, who rudely waves them off but joyfully interacts with white children. The clip was shared millions of times and attracted outrage from multiple celebrities, including Kelly Rowland. The race of the employee dressed as the character Rosita is unknown. However, the video set off a wave of others showing similar interactions with Black children and characters at Sesame Place. Shortly after, the park issued a statement apologizing to the family.
“What these children experienced is unacceptable,” the statement read.
A $25 million lawsuit was filed against the park’s parent company, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, by another family claiming four costumed characters ignored their daughter and other Black guests. According to the complaint, Sesame Place employers were aware that the four employees dressed as the costumed characters held “racial bias towards Black people,” making their actions “foreseeable.”
That lawsuit demanded the company immediately put cultural sensitivity training in place to prevent future incidents.
