Posted on 07/19/2022 8:50:36 PM PDT by MNDude
Sesame Place in Philadelphia was accused of racism after a mother posted a video purportedly showing someone dressed as the Rosita character ignoring her two Black daughters during a parade.
Ben Crump, the lawyer credited with winning the family of George Floyd the record $27 million civil settlement from the city of Minneapolis amid the trial for former police officer Derek Chauvin, reposted the video on Twitter and weighed in, writing: "This is absolutely HEARTBREAKING!"
"These two young Queens did NOT deserve to be blatantly singled out and ignored by this #SesameStreet character!" Crump said. "@SesamePlace MUST address their staff's disgusting behavior!"
The video shows the two Black girls, one stretching out her harms in excitement, waiting for the Rosita character to walk past them during a parade through the park, as an Elmo character waves from a float in the background. The Rosita character is seen high-fiving at least one child and an adult before shaking a finger no in a direction off-screen and then again gesturing "no" before passing the seemingly disappointed girls.
Other Twitter users chimed in against Sesame Place, including Leslie Mac, a digital strategist aligned with the Movement for Black Lives Electoral Justice Project, and HBO actor Wendell Pierce, who exclaimed: "WITNESS THE END OF INNOCENCE. WITNESS THE TRAUMA. This moment is violent, scarring, psychological abuse."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It seems to me that the person portraying Rosita was distracted by something in the crowd and hardly saw the little girls. I seriously doubt that any disrespect was intended.
However, I couldn't help feeling a sharp sense of hurt watching the little girls reach out to her and then obviously feel slighted. If I were the person portraying Rosita I would feel terrible about it.
It seems to me, that as soon as this was called to the attention of the people at Sesame Place--and especially the person portraying Rosita--arrangements should have been made for Rosita to visit the little girls at their home, perhaps with gifts, to soothe their feelings and give them hugs and to assure that everyone knows that no slight was intended.
The incident was very sad to me. The little girls were excited and enthusiastic, and their disappointment was obvious. Sesame Place should find some way to reassure them and make it up to them. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just some small gesture of affection and reassurance.
Even worse, what that person is NOT a POC? Oh, the horror!
I hope the actor is, because that will be very hilarious.
Yes, we don’t have the muppet’s eye view of things. It’s possible that somebody in the crowd wanted something the muppet couldn’t give or was doing something the muppet didn’t approve of. And then there was the possibility that the muppet didn’t see the little girls at first. In any case, the muppet should have realized the mistake and made it up to the kids. Unnecessarily bad press for Sesame Place.
Furry Supremacy
I wonder how easy it is to see anything right under you in those masks if you are looking ahead and not down.
But...maybe I was mistaken:
Any one of us could accidentally miss seeing someone, including a child--but I don't think I could intentionally brush off a child.
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