PHILADELPHIA — Sesame Place officials issued several apologies after an actor in a Rosita costume snubbed two little Black girls who visited the amusement park this month. In the heated aftermath that included protests and additional claims of racism, Sesame Place pledged to institute mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training for its staff.
Sigh.
Real talk: DEI alone won't solve this problem, because DEI doesn't teach common decency and manners. A mean person, dressed up as a friendly "Sesame Street" monster, decided it was OK to behave nastily toward two Black children. Instead of greeting the little girls with outstretched arms — or at the very least offering them high fives — this cretin, disguised as a muppet, shooed them away after giving other children — white children — mad love. And more videos have surfaced of Black children being ignored by Sesame Place characters, demonstrating a pattern of mistreatment.
