August 4, 2022
A TikTok video is going viral of a Disney World parade with workers portraying characters 'Jessie' and 'Woody' from The Toy Story franchise. The video shows black children yelling for Jessie, who walking on the other side of the street, trying to get her attention. Woody steps in and motions for Jessie to go to the kids where she gives a little black girl a hug. The performer for Woody was praised for his actions with the caption "WOODY FOR THE WIN.'
TikTok @lifesigma
This is in stark contrast to the Sesame Place incident of June 18, 2022 where performers refused to acknowledge black guests in the crowds. One of the mothers posted a video on Instagram showing one of the workers, portraying the character 'Rosita', refuse to acknowledge her black daughters right after greeting a group of white people. The video went viral and caused a public outcry as the employee was called out for the racist behaviour.
Sesame Place issued a statement in an attempt to explain away the 'Rosita' character's actions but more videos began to surface showing the same behaviour by additional performers.
Bernice King, a lawyer and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., also met with the two of the girls at the 2022 United Justice Coalition Summit. She posted a picture with the hashtag "#Racism is real."
A $25 million class action suit has been brought against the Philadelphia amusement park, owned by SeaWorld Parks, alleging discrimination based on race.
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