Popular Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert.
Image: dpa
The father of an African American family says his daughter was repeatedly ignored when she met cast members of several Muppet dolls. White children exchanged hugs with the characters.
NAfter allegations of racism against the Sesame Place amusement park in the US state of Pennsylvania, an African-American family has sued the operators for $25 million in damages. Quinton Burns said Wednesday that his five-year-old daughter, Kennedi, was repeatedly ignored when he met dolls from the children’s show Sesame Street in mid-June.
While various Muppets, including Rosita, the show’s first bilingual character, would have exchanged hugs and high-fives with white children, Kennedi reportedly had to forgo it because of her skin color.
A video was posted on social media last week showing two African American girls also being overlooked during a visit to the amusement park. The operator SeaWorld Parks then apologized to the children and their parents. He pointed out the limited perspective of the adults who were in the costumes.
