In the wake of controversy from a video showing a Sesame Street character costumed employee seemingly ignoring two tiny Black girls during a parade, Sesame Place Philadelphia has apologized and indicated its personnel will receive additional training.
Cookie Monster and Abby Cadabby backpacks adorn the two girls as they wait on the sidelines of the parade for Rosita, a character from another show, to make their way down. The character high-fives a little child and an adult, both of whom look to be Caucasian, before making it to the females.
Two black girls have their hands outstretched when the Sesame staff reaches them and waves them off, leaving the girls looking bewildered and dismayed.
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The adult accompanying the children shared a video of their encounter with the procession on Instagram, explaining that they were on their way out of the park when they decided to stay for the girls wanted to see the characters.
PHILADELPHIA
A new video, according to an attorney for the family at the center of Sesame Place’s claimed discrimination scandal, shows a character purposely ignoring two Black girls.
Last weekend, Jodi Brown shared a video of her 6-year-old daughter Skylar and 6-year-old niece Nylah being snubbed by a Sesame Place character while other children of color were welcomed.
With over 750,000 views since Brown shared it on her own Instagram page, the video has gone viral. celebrities and public figures began speaking out after the video was released, demanding that the park responds to the video.
Kelly Rowland And Others React To Sesame Street Controversy
As a result of the disparity in treatment shown in the video, many people, including Destiny’s Child vocalist Kelly Rowland, expressed their indignation. According to Rowland’s Instagram story, she reshared the mother’s video and said, “This situation has me enraged.
As Rowland said in a video posted on Instagram, “So had that been me, that whole parade would’ve been in flames.” “What are you talking about, man? You aren’t going to talk to my child, are you? What about the baby’s face at the end? Is that the one wearing pink? She should be answered!”
Anger was vented online by other performers and activists as well as social media users in response to the theme park’s recent tragedy. On his Instagram, activist Raymond Santana, one of the five members of the Exonerated Five, posted a video of the incident along with a commentary from Rowland.
History of Sesame Street Controversy
Sesame Street, a public television program for young children, premiered on November 10, 1969, and it will be in its 53nd season in 2022. The evolution of Sesame Street’s approach to developmental psychology, early childhood education, and ethnic diversity can be traced back to the show’s beginnings.
For the first time, a television program of its kind was based on laboratory and formative research for its content and production values and included a curriculum “defined or declared in terms of measurable objectives.”
Did not have @sesamestreet being at the center of a controversy on my 2022 bingo card, yet here we are. #racism
— Bri / Jemele Hill fan (@brianaamberbobo) July 19, 2022
In the beginning, the show was met with a mixture of acclaim, controversy, and high viewership numbers. Sesame Street had been broadcast in over 120 countries by the time it celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009, and 20 different international versions had been made.
Eleven Grammy Awards and almost 150 Emmy Awards have been bestowed upon it, making it the most decorated children’s show of all time. Showrunner Joan Ganz Cooney and Vice President Lloyd Morrisett of Carnegie Corporation had discussions in 1966 that led to the show’s conception.
A children’s television show that would “perfect the addictive aspects of television and do something positive with them,” such as helping young children prepare for school, was their goal.
Children’s Television Workshop (CTW) obtained an $8 million grant from Carnegie Corporation, Ford Foundation, and US federal government after two years of research to make a new children’s television show.
