The parade at Sesame Place is supposed to be a joyful event for children, but it wasn’t for two young Black girls this past weekend. During the parade, which took place at a Sesame Place theme park in Philadelphia, two little Black girls were apparently snubbed by the individual dressed as the Rosita character when they tried to interact with her. The character was, however, enthusiastic about giving an adult, who wasn’t Black, a high five. The individual also showed loved to other children, according to the girls’ mother.
“THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!” she wrote on Instagram. “Then when I went to complain about it, they looking at me like I’m crazy.”
As you can imagine, social media is outraged by this, especially with it happening at a place that is supposed to make all children feel special and seen. Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland had a thing or three to say about this.
“Had that been me, that whole parade would have been in flames,” the singer said. “Are you serious? You’re not going to speak to my child? And did you see that baby’s face at the end? The little one with the pink on? She deserves an explanation.”
The post from the mother of the two girls, has attracted over 300,000 views and over 7,000 comments of people standing in solidarity with her. Some commenters said it’s something they’ve also experienced. Sesame Place did eventually break their silence regarding the incident, sharing what turned out to be an unsatisfactory statement.
“Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms,” the statement read. “Regarding the incident yesterday, the costumes our performers wear sometimes make it difficult to see at lower levels and sometimes our performers miss hug requests from guests.
“The performer portraying the Rosita character has 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.”
Sesame Street’s statement also claimed a representative for the park spoke to the family involved, apologized and invited them to come back for a special meet-and-greet opportunity with the characters.
This isn’t something that should be happening in 2022, especially to children of color. They deserve to have safe spaces where they aren’t excluded, singled out, and made to feel insignificant, especially by a children’s theme park based on a series that has embraced the things that make us all different and promoted the acceptance of d people of all backgrounds.