Jodi Brown, the concerned mom at the center of the Sesame Place controversy after a costumed character dissed her two girls, has now enlisted help in her call to hold the theme park accountable.
Activist Tamika Mallory and Brown’s attorney, B’Ivory Lamarr, joined her and other community activists at a news conference on Wednesday, July 20.
Mallory took the podium and grabbed the issue of racism by the jugular, “What we have now uncovered is that unfortunately, discrimination is in another area of our society, and it must be rooted out.”
Lamarr said to Fox 29 that the family is fighting for justice and accountability “for what we consider to be egregious acts by their employees.”
Brown posted a viral video of a costumed character, Rosita, allegedly ignoring her daughter Skylar Brown, 6, and her niece Nylah Brown, 6, while at a parade at Sesame Place in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia, according to Fox 29.
“When the video cuts off, that same performer went and hugged another Caucasian girl that stood beside those Black ones,” Lamarr said. “I think that’s very disturbing, and I think it also shows intent.”
Lamarr said after the incident, the two girls and the family experienced “severe harm” and wanted changes made within the park and for the individual who portrayed Rosita terminated.
The amusement park issued an apology that many viewed as tepid and insincere and promised they would be committed to increasing training for its employees, Fox 29 reports.
On Saturday, Brown uploaded a nine-second video to Instagram showing the Rosita character giving high-fives to a white child and woman. But then “Rosita” shakes its head and hands “no” when the two little Black girls have their arms stretched out toward the character requesting a hug, according to Fox 29.
Yet, Brown alleges after the video ends that “Rosita” went on to hug other children down the line.
Sesame Place called it an isolated incident, saying in its defense that the actors in the costumes have difficulty seeing park patrons.
However, many other parents have come forward, sharing videos of their questionable encounters with other theme park characters who have also ignored their children, according to the Daily Beast.
In one video shared by @theneighborhoodtalk, Rosita appears to acknowledge a white family but seemingly ignores a Black boy during a parade when he tries to greet her.
In another video, a Black girl at the forefront, fiercely waving her hands, is passed over by the character, who proceeds to hug a white child standing next to her.
Multiple videos posted on @
frobabies shows Rosita singling out white children to interact with while walking by a diverse group of kids.Another video shows a little girl running up to Rosita, but the character again ignores her to interact with other kids.
The user who posted the video captioned the moment with, “Now, I’m not saying #Rosita is racist.. but whoever is under this/those masks sure is curving a bunch of brown kids..She ignored Lola TWICE last Sunday. (7/10) Lola ran up to her saying ‘ROSITA!’ The character went out of their way to change course and Immediately after hugged and took a pic with a little white girl. Investigate this pattern.”
Sesame Place has since issued a second apology that read, “We are taking actions to do better. We are committed to making this right. We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests.”
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit leader that created the popular children’s show, which ironically has roots in Black culture, also publicly remarked in a statement, “We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage with families and guests,” the statement read in part.