Lawyer for Black girls 'ignored' by Rosita at Sesame Place demands park pay their mental health bills
After a video of a costumed figure at Sesame Place refusing to high-five two black children went viral, many stepped in to hold the representatives of the children's theme park accountable. Singer and actress Kelly Rowland slammed the popular theme park and demanded an explanation over the matter. Now, B’Ivory Lamarr, an attorney representing the family of the young girls, is calling for the employee, dressed as Rosita, to be fired.
On July 16, the parent with the username __jodiii__ on Instagram, identified as Jodi Brown, posted a video that showed her two daughters walking toward the 'Sesame Street' character Rosita. However, when the little girls extended their arms for a high-five, the costumed figure ignored them. The mother posted the racist incident with the caption, “THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us! Then when I went to complain about it, they looking at me like I’m crazy. I asked the lady who the character was and I wanted to see a supervisor and she told me SHE DIDNT KNOW !!” The video sparked harsh criticism against Sesame Place.
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The theme park responded by saying that the park stands for "inclusivity and equality in all forms," and that it does not tolerate any behavior in the parks that is contrary to that commitment. The statement read, "Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms. We do not tolerate any behavior in our parks that is contrary to that commitment. 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 our guests."
The family wants the performer terminated
According to DailyMail, on Wednesday, July 20, the attorney representing the case, Lamarr, rejected the explanation that the costume prevented the actor from seeing the two girls, calling it 'bogus.' He said, "This wasn't about any publicity. This wasn't about any money. She went to management immediately at the park. She showed them the same video that millions of people across this country and the world have seen. Sesame Place had an opportunity to see that video at that time. They chose to reject it. They chose to dismiss this family."
He continued, "We reject any notion that the performer's actions were not short of intentional. How come they could see everybody else?" He further stated, while demanding the park pay for any mental care expenses the kids will need as a result of the incident, "The only acceptable action is for this performer to be terminated. No other kid should go through what these kids went through."
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The attorney also noted that these two girls were not the only ones. He claimed to have received evidence from around 30 black families who faced similar incidents at the same theme park over the years.