Sesame Place Announces Diversity Training Initiatives After Backlash

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Sesame Place announced on Aug. 9 that it’s putting its company in review and implementing diversity and inclusion training initiatives.

The Philidelphia-based theme park’s new aims include a “comprehensive racial equity assessment,” an anti-bias training and education program for its employees and enhancements to its DE&I program.

A statement released by the company outlined that all the new initiatives will be “overseen and conducted by nationally recognized experts.”

“We are pleased to have this team of well-respected leaders joining us,” said Cathy Valeriano, President of Sesame Place Philadelphia. “We have already begun engaging with employees, guests, civil rights groups as well as community leaders, and instituted some interim measures at the park while the review proceeds. The actions we are taking will help us deliver on our promise to provide an equitable and inclusive experience for all our guests every day.”

“We are committed to making sure our guests feel welcome, included and enriched by their visits to our park,” Valeriano added.

The details on Sesame Place’s initiatives explained that by September 2022, onboarding and current employees will “participate in a substantive training and education program[s] designed to address bias, promote inclusion, prevent discrimination, and ensure all guests and employees feel safe and welcome.”

Additionally, the racial equity assessment will aim to review the park’s “policies, processes, and practices” to find “opportunities for improvement.”

Why Sesame Place Philadelphia Is Pursuing Diversity Training

The company’s latest move comes after online users have been posting videos of young Black visitors being discriminated against by the park’s costumed employees.

In July, a video and account of two young Black girls’ experience at the park subjected Sesame Place to widespread criticism.

In the footage, an employee dressed up as Sesame Street’s Rosita snubbed the two girls despite the character high-fiving others who attended the parade. 

The rise in discriminatory allegations against Sesame Place in recent weeks has resulted in the theme park and its parent company SeaWorld being the target of a class action lawsuit filed last month. 

Read more on that below. 

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