In July of this year, Sesame Place faced backlash after an unjust encounter was caught on video. A mother recorded a character blatantly ignoring her two black children but speaking to everyone else. It didn’t take long for the clip to go viral and garner the attention of several media outlets as well as prominent individuals.
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What was even more shocking was that countless other incidents had come to the light. Day after day, families were uploading videos of their children being discriminated against while trying to create core memories. All of this led to the initial family, the Browns, suing the theme park for $25 million.
Upon receiving the lawsuit, Sesame Place issued a statement. “We will review the lawsuit filed… We look forward to addressing that claim through the established legal process. We are committed to [delivering] an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests.”
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Now, months after the suit was filed, the park has attempted to make amends. According to TMZ, the Philadelphia park invited the family back to visit, but they rejected it, claiming that the kids are still traumatized by their prior experience. Their attorney, B’Ivory Lamarr, told the outlet that they are still unaware of what happened to the worker in the costume. The question of whether they were fired, penalized, or swapped characters still remains unanswered.
Lamarr also revealed that a couple of meetings have taken place between the family and SeaWorld executives, but not much progress has been made. He has promised that he will continue to fight for the family and has urged community leaders to join him.
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