Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Aug 01, 2026

Sesame Street hit by more claims of racist behavior

Sesame Street hit by more claims of racist behavior

A couple from Arkansas said their Black son was ignored in favor of white children by Big Bird at a Sesame Street theme park. They're the latest family to accuse the brand of racism.
The Morris' claims come in the wake of a $25 million lawsuit filed by a family following a viral video that appears to show the character Rosita ignoring two young Black girls during a "meet and greet" at Sesame Place in Philadelphia.

The incident has sparked widespread debate in the U.S., with famed civil rights campaigner the Reverend Jesse Jackson involved.

Kimberly said she took Jaheim, then 4, to the popular theme park on March 4. "We went to watch 'story time' with Big Bird, and afterward Jaheim went to go and meet Big Bird.

"With other kids, who were mostly white, he was taking pictures and giving out hugs and high fives.

"Jaheim just wanted a high five but Big Bird was totally different with him. The bird looked directly at him and refused to put his hand out.

"Jaheim was so sad afterwards, it was heartbreaking to see."

Dad Jaren added: "I thought it was just us, but now I'm seeing other people have gone through the same thing and we needed to share our story."

Jaheim and his mom flew to Orlando so that the youngster could go to the theme park to see his favorite Sesame Street characters.

She and her husband said their son was bursting with excitement before they went but when they got there, things started to take a sad turn.

Kimberly said what happened to Jaheim was similar to a video which recently went viral, which appears to show two little Black girls being snubbed by the character Rosita at Sesame Place.

She alleged: "I saw him run back saying sadly 'Mommy, the bird didn't high five me.'

"He was not active with my child despite interacting with all the others. I remember noticing and thinking 'oh wow.'

"It was heartbreaking to see. I wanted to cry when he was reaching his hand out and the bird wouldn't touch him."

The parents said that since then, Jaheim has grown less and less fond of Sesame Street, having been a huge fan before they went to the theme park.

They say they are "worried" to hear it wasn't a one-time incident.

"We won't go back there ever again. They need to do better," Kimberly said.

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit group behind Sesame Street, was approached for comment and shared a previous statement about the original viral incident, refusing to offer anything more specific to Jaheim's experience.

It said: "Sesame Workshop is aware of the recent incident at Sesame Place Philadelphia, which we take very seriously. What these children experienced is unacceptable.

"We have been in contact with Sesame Place, our licensed park partner, and they have assured us that they will conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage with families and guests.

"As a global nonprofit educational organization with a mission to help children grow smarter, stronger and kinder, Sesame Workshop has always stood for respect, inclusion and belonging and is committed to providing the highest quality engaging experiences for all children and families.

"We hold our partners to the same high standards.

"We will continue working with our long-term partner Sesame Place to ensure that appropriate actions are taken and that incidents like this do not happen in the future."

Sesame Place then suggested Zenger News contact SeaWorld, which runs Sesame Street Land in Orlando.

A SeaWorld employee offered a comment, which they asked to be attributed to Sesame Street Land.

It said: "We want every child who comes to our park to feel included, seen and inspired and we are disappointed to learn that this child came away from his experience in our park feeling disappointed.

"This is the first time we have been made aware of this incident and are reaching out to the family to speak with them about it."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Burnham Rules Out Replacing Council Tax and Stamp Duty
Fresh Heatwave Threatens to Rekindle France’s Historic Wildfire Crisis
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
Autopsy Finds No Violence in Death of Epstein-Linked Model Scout
Indian Education Minister Resigns After Cockroach Youth Protests
California Desert Data-Centre Plan Stalls as Water and Power Disputes Mount
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
US Gasoline Returns to $4 as Renewed Iran Fighting Disrupts Oil Flows
Czech Central Bank Governor Rejects Early Euro Entry and Rate-Cut Pressure
Trump Orders 50% Tariffs on Selected Canadian Imports
×