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Sesame Place to train park employees on diversity and inclusion

San Diego Theme Park
Posted at 3:23 PM, Aug 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-10 22:06:08-04

An amusement park in Pennsylvania announced new measures to expand its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts after a class action lawsuit alleging racial bias.

Sesame Park officials made the announcement Tuesday following a $25 million class-action lawsuit that was filed against the park's parent company, SeaWorld parks, and entertainment.

Sesame Park officials apologized to a family last month after a video showing two Black children seemingly snubbed by the Rosita character went viral.

After that, another Black family accused character performers of racial discrimination.

The lawsuit alleges that during their visit in June, the characters only interacted with white visitors during a meet and greet event.

Among the announced changes, all workers will undergo training and education programs led by national experts by the end of September.

The programs are designed to address bias, promote inclusion, prevent discrimination, and ensure guests and employees feel welcome.

Sesame Place initially called the Rosita incident a misunderstanding, explaining in a statement that the "no" hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person.

Instead, the park said it was in response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo, which is not allowed.