Is Sesame Place in PA racist against Black kids? A jury got to decide

☑️ 5 Black families claimed costumed Sesame Place characters ignored their children

☑️ The park said the children may not have been seen through the costume

☑️ Sesame Place issued two apologies over a 2022 incident

LANGHORNE, Pa. — A federal jury rejected a claim that a costumed character purposely ignored a young Black girl at Sesame Place in 2022.

The lawsuit was spurred by a video posted by Leslie Mac, of Baltimore, on her Twitter account in 2022. The video shows her grand-niece Paige at the Bucks County amusement park for her 4th birthday celebration.

Mac's video shows the character Rosita giving high fives to people along the parade route but waved off Paige and her friend who had their arms extended.

"This is how #SesamePlace treated these beautiful Black children. I'm HOT," Mac wrote.

Sesame Place offered two apologies at the time. It first tried to explain on its Instagram account that the girls were not intentionally ignored. The sightline of characters in costume is sometimes blocked at lower levels and the performers miss hug requests from guests.

The woman in the costume explained that the "no" gesture was directed at parents who wanted Rosalita to hold their child, which is a violation of park rules, the park explained.

Five other families filed a $25 million lawsuit against Sesame Place's owners over claims of racial discrimination, alleging multiple costumed characters ignored their children during other visits to the park. Mac was not part of the lawsuit.

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"P" is for "pleased"

A jury on Wednesday unanimously found the park was not liable, according to coverage by NBC Philadelphia.

Sesame Workshop, the park's owners, said it was "pleased" with the verdict, which the company says proves it treats its 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," their statement read.

Andrew K. O’Connell, one of the judges for the plaintiff, told the Bucks County Courier Times they were "disappointed" in the verdict and weighing their options.

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