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Tamika Mallory and community activists will join the family of two young girls who were allegedly snubbed at the Sesame Street-themed amusement park by a costumed character who waved them off during a parade, according to a release.
The amusement park has since apologized and promised more training for its employees after a video showed the incident, which went viral online.
The nine-second video, posted to Instagram on Saturday by Jodi Brown, the mother of one of the girls, showed the character Rosita high-fiving a white child and woman, then gesturing “no” and walking away from the two girls who had their arms stretched out for a hug during the parade at Sesame Place in Langhorne, outside Philadelphia.
“I will never step foot in @sesameplace ever again,” Brown said online.
The family’s lawyer, B’Ivory LaMarr, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the family is appalled and disturbed by the incident and “the injuries propagated to their children.”
In an initial statement Sunday, Sesame Place said the park and its employees stand for “inclusivity and equality in all forms.” The statement also noted that performers sometimes miss requests for hugs because the costumes they wear make it difficult to see at lower levels.
“The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated by the misunderstanding,” the statement said.
“The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated by the misunderstanding,” the statement said.
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