Sesame Place Discrimination Lawsuit Dismissed

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA —A federal lawsuit claiming that Sesame Place characters discriminated against two black children has been dismissed by a Philadelphia grand jury, authorities said.

A grand jury ruled Thursday that Sesame Place Philadelphia is not liable in a 2022 federal lawsuit brought by a family claiming their two black daughters were snubbed by a Sesame Place character while watching a weekend parade.

The jury unanimously voted "no" to the questions asked of if Sesame Place, and its parent company SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, were liable, authorities said.

"We are pleased with the jury’s verdict and thank them for their service and attention," Sesame Place said in a statement to Patch on Friday. "The facts presented demonstrate that we treat our guests equally. We want every guest at our park to feel welcomed and safe when they visit us and to be able to see and feel aspects of themselves in the experiences we create. We’re proud of the role we play in creating lasting memories —especially for our youngest guests. We are constantly learning and improving and we’re committed to using our parks to help build a more inclusive experience for our guests."

Jodi Brown on Instagram called out the Langhorne theme park in July 2020 in a video posted to her account.

The video shows two 6-year-old girls watching a parade while Sesame Street character Rosita high-fives other attendees. The girls reach out to Rosita as she approaches, but the character wags her finger and shakes her head as she passes the children.

"THIS DISGUSTING person blatantly told our kids NO then proceeded to hug the little white girl next to us!" Brown wrote in the Instagram post. In the post, she also said she asked to speak to a supervisor, but the staff couldn't tell her who was in charge.

The family retained B'Ivory LaMarr of B'Ivory LaMarr Trial Lawyers, the firm confirmed in a statement, adding that the girls were "intentionally mistreated."

Sesame Place responded to the backlash in a statement posted to Instagram, saying the performer portraying the Rosita character confirmed the "no" hand gesture wasn't directed at any specific person. It was, the park said, in response to requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo, which is not allowed.

Park officials went on to say they had reached out to the family, apologized, and invited them to a special meet-and-greet with Sesame Place characters.

Meanwhile, the park also conducted a racial equity assessment and had all park employees undergo anti-bias training and education to address bias, promote inclusion, prevent discrimination, and cultivate a welcoming environment for all guests.