A furious family has filed a $25 million lawsuit against a Sesame Street-themed theme park, claiming their 5-year-old daughter was completely ignored by four characters because of her color.
The suit was reportedly filed in a Philadelphia federal court against SeaWorld Parks for ‘pervasive and appalling race discrimination.’
According to the lawsuit, four employees dressed as Sesame Street characters allegedly ignored Quinton Burns, his 5-year-old daughter Kennedi Burns, and other guests during the meet-and-greet event on June 18 because of their color.
“Just looking at her face, it makes me want to cry every time I see it,” Burns said.
The lawsuit states ‘SeaWorld’s performers readily engaged with numerous similarly situated white customers.’
This comes after a video showing two other girls from New York went viral. It shows the children being ignored by an employee dressed as a Sesame Street character during a parade in Langhorne.
In a statement, Sesame Place apologized and vowed that there will be more training for its staff.
During a press conference on Wednesday, one of the family’s lawyers called for transparency from SeaWorld and for the Burns family to be compensated.
Attorney Malcolm Ruff said: “She was ignored amongst a sea of other young white children who were able to interact, give hugs, high fives.
“Kennedi was forced to experience racism at the age of 5. This is unacceptable and we will not stand by and let this continue.”
The company responded to the lawsuit, saying in a statement to Eyewitness News: “We will review the lawsuit filed on behalf of Mr. Burns. We look forward to addressing that claim through the established legal process.
“We are committed to deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests.”
Jodi Brown, the parent of one of the children, first shared a video showing Sesame Place character Rosita high-fiving a white woman and child before walking away from two black girls.
Black Caucus members are now seeking a meeting with the general manager of the theme park to ‘discuss the changes, plans of action, and training the park plans to implement,’ Fox News reported.
The caucus reportedly said: “Over the past week, we’ve seen multiple glaring examples of racism coming from the park, including the viral video in which two beautiful little black girls were blatantly rejected by a character they idolized while white children were embraced.”
Theme park officials called the viral moment a ‘misunderstanding,’ saying the staff likely did not see the children because of the costume’s mask.
The statement read: “Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms. That is what Sesame Place is all about and we do not tolerate any behaviors in our parks that are contrary to that commitment.
“We also are, and always have been, committed to making sure every family and every child has the best possible experience at our parks and we are incredibly disappointed when that does not happen,” the statement continued.
“We spoke to the family and extended our apologies and invited them back for a special meet-and-greet opportunity with our characters.”
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