More Families Come Forward With Complaints After Sesame Place Character Allegedly Ignores 2 Young Black Girls, Attorney Says
LANGHORNE, Pa. (CBS) -- The attorney representing a family that claims they were snubbed at Sesame Place says more families have come forward with similar complaints. The family posted the viral video on Saturday.
They say it shows an actor playing Rosita snubbing two Black girls while hugging and high-fiving white children at a parade.
The attorney's office says it's sifting through the complaints and expects more updates in the coming days.
There has apparently been dialogue between his office and with Sesame Place representatives.
The park has said the snub was unintentional.
In a new statement Thursday, Sesame Place says company leaders have offered to meet with the family and their attorney to deliver a personal apology. Read the full statement below.
"We sincerely and wholeheartedly apologize to the Brown family for what they experienced. To be very clear, what the two young girls experienced, what the family experienced, is unacceptable. It happened in our park, with our team, and we own that. It is our responsibility to make this better for the children and the family and to be better for all families.
We have been in contact with the family since Sunday morning and we remain in contact through their lawyer Mr. LaMarr. We have offered to meet the family and their attorney in person, as early as today, to personally deliver an apology and an acknowledgement that we are holding ourselves accountable for what happened. We want to listen to them to understand how the experience impacted their family and to understand what we can do better for them and all guests who visit our parks. We are committed to learning all we can from this situation to make meaningful change. We want every child who comes to our park to feel included, seen and inspired.
We are taking action and are reviewing our practices to identify necessary changes, both in the immediate and long-term. We are instituting mandatory training for all of our employees so that we can better recognize, understand, and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests. We have already engaged with nationally recognized experts in this area.
We take this extremely seriously; we are heartbroken by what these young girls and this family experienced in our park. It is antithetical to our values, principles and purpose. We are committed to working tirelessly and intentionally to make this situation better. We will do the necessary work for the long haul -- not just in the public eye, but also behind the scenes and within ourselves."
