PHILADELPHIA — A Baltimore family is suing a Sesame Street amusement park for $25 million over allegations of racial discrimination, claiming several costumed characters ignored a 5-year-old black girl during a get-together last month.
The lawsuit follows video, widely circulated on social media, of two other black girls apparently being snubbed by a costumed employee during a parade at the park in Langhorne, outside of Philadelphia. Sesame Place issued an apology in a statement and promised more training for its employees after the video went viral earlier this month.
The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, was filed in federal court in Philadelphia against SeaWorld Parks, the owner of Sesame Place, alleging “pervasive and appalling racial discrimination.”
The lawsuit alleges that four employees dressed as Sesame Street characters ignored Quinton Burns, his daughter Kennedi Burns and other black guests during the June 18 meeting.
The 5-year-old girl’s family is seeking $25 million in their lawsuit alleging racial discrimination. Shutterstock
During a press conference Wednesday, one of the family’s attorneys, Malcolm Ruff, called for transparency from SeaWorld and for compensation from the company for the Burns family. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.