Children’s Theme Park Sesame Place Facing $25 Million Lawsuit Following Racial Discrimination Claims From Amusement Park Participants

Children’s Theme Park Sesame Place Facing $25 Million Lawsuit Following Racial Discrimination Claims From Amusement Park Participants

The popular children’s theme park Sesame Place might be paying out millions due to their staff’s questionable behavior.

As you may already know, earlier this month a now-viral clip was shared online of a black family seemingly being discriminated against while visiting Sesame Place in Philadelphia. In the video, it appears like the Sesame Place character Rosita purposely ignores two black girls but interacts with the white park participants.

Initially following the public outrage surrounding the incident, Sesame Place seemingly tried to deny claims of racism within the park. However, as more videos came out from black families with similar stories, the theme park issued another statement promising to train their staff better.

But it seems like that apology came a little too late. Yesterday (July 27) the Burns family, a different family than the one seen in the viral video, filed a class action lawsuit against Sesame Place for the discrimination they allegedly experienced while visiting the park.

According to the suit, the Maryland family is claiming that during their own trip to the infamous theme park on June 18, 5-year-old Kennedi Burns, who is black, was purposely ignored by four Sesame Place characters. The suit adds that the characters had no issue interacting with white families/children.

The lawsuit alleges that SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Inc. engages in pervasive and appalling race discrimination against children in the operation of Sesame Place Philadelphia. The Burns family is seeking $25 million in damages.

Sesame Place released a statement and said:

“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.”

It’s expected that the family of the initial viral video will also be filing their own lawsuit against Sesame Place.

What are your thoughts on this entire situation? Tell us below!

[VIA 1, 2]