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.
And to top it off, another federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Philadelphia accusing Sesame Place and its parent company of allowing more costumed characters to racially discriminate against Black children. This complaint alleges that several characters — Elmo, Ernie, Telly and Abby Cadabby — ignored 5-year-old Kennedi Burns, of Baltimore, on June 5. Kennedi's dad, Quinton Burns, appeared at a news conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon to announce the lawsuit.
What a shame.
Let’s be clear: This column isn’t knocking the need for DEI training, so the people whining about being forced to acknowledge Black history as American history can cool their racist heels. Diversity, equity, and inclusion training in workplaces is meant to teach people how to recognize unconscious biases that result in them treating their Black colleagues like servants. DEI also helps institutions raise employees’ awareness of systemic racism that results in unequal housing, pay, education, transportation, and food access.
DEI training doesn't, however, teach basic manners. It doesn't instill kindness. It doesn't cure a bitter heart. Call me crazy, but a person should not need DEI training to know they should treat Black children with the same compassion they treat white children. That's the job of home training. Sesame Place needs to do a better job making sure they hire employees who have home training. DEI training helps employers spot racists and reject them because racists are not good people.
We’ve known since the 1940s, when psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s doll test showed the world that Black children overwhelmingly chose white dolls over Black dolls, that Black children internalize their feelings of inferiority and are acutely aware of the preferential treatment given to white children. A 2020 study by the American Psychological Association revealed that by preschool, children are well aware of race. Parents’ discomfort when it comes to discussing race doesn’t mean children won’t pick up on racist attitudes, which have the power to shape life-long behavior. And young children of color who experience racism remember it, and those experiences have a lasting impact on self-esteem.
Skylar and Nylah Brown, the little girls snubbed at Sesame Place, are only 6 years old. When Rosita waves them off you can see the pain in their eyes. I don't doubt that day will be seared in their memory — and it won't be because of all the media coverage. I was 8 years old the first time a white child called me the N-word. Forty years later I still remember that hot feeling in my cheeks and how my body started to shake. I remember how my mother tried to explain it away, but she couldn't.
"Sesame Street" is one of the most joyous children's television shows of all time. A child of the 1970s, I have fond memories of "Sesame Street." Before Heathcliff and Claire Huxtable, there were the fictional street's Black patriarchs Gordon and Susan. Maria, who eventually married Luis and took over Mr. Hooper's store, was a role model for young women of color.
The Black and brown children on "Sesame Street" sit side by side with the white children as they learn their ABCs. Big Bird helps all of the children solve their problems. Oscar tells all of the children to scram. Elmo is all of the children's best friend. Rosita, the first Latina muppet who made her debut to the show in 1991, helps all of the children with their Spanish.
Perhaps the poor excuse for muppets should have watched more "Sesame Street." If they did, they would know that based on "Sesame Street's" legacy, Sesame Place is supposed to be a safe place for children where racism is not tolerated. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces "Sesame Street," said in a tweet that it is aware of the recent incident, calling it unacceptable. That's expected. The rogue muppet's behavior is already bringing into question "Sesame Street's" 50-year legacy of kindness and inclusion.
Sesame Workshop also said it would continue to work with SeaWorld, its long-term partner, to ensure that “appropriate actions are taken and that incidents like this don’t happen in the future.” It’s important that "Sesame Street" doesn’t let this behavior walk. Black people shouldn’t have to think that hard about whether or not Sesame Place is a safe haven for their child. And if the person in the Rosita costume isn’t fired, white children will absorb racist attitudes by not being taught to be actively anti-racist.
Companies fire employees who lie, steal, show up late and don't do their jobs. These are basic expectations and job requirements. Treating children with kindness and compassion at Sesame Place should be a job requirement, too. That needs to happen before any DEI training.
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Elizabeth Wellington is a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
