Kelly Rowland is continuing to advocate for the two young Black girls who were seemingly ignored by the Sesame Street character Rosita at Sesame Place in a viral video.
“I’m still upset,” the singer told ET on Monday night (July 18) at the Los Angeles premiere of Nope. “I was livid and I know, me personally, I would’ve burned the place down. I’ve said it before and I really mean it.”
Rowland also called out Sesame Place’s statement following the incident, in which the Philadelphia park wrote that “our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms.”
The statement went on to say that the person in the Rosita costume said that the “no” gesture was “not directed at any specific person,” but was instead “a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo which is not permitted.” Sesame Place also said in its statement that the employee in the costume “did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding.”
“Did you see that ridiculous apology that they had?” Rowland said.
#BabyPaige & her cute lil friends went to @SesamePlace this weekend to celebrate Paige's 4th birthday & this is how #SesamePlace treated these beautiful Black children. I'm HOT. pic.twitter.com/wATjpRzUF1
— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) July 17, 2022
“When I saw this and it was an extension of what I grew up learning and loving about Sesame Street and Sesame Place, I don’t know what place this is that I saw,” she added. “It made two beautiful little girls feel like they were just not there.”
“I wasn’t trying to give it any more attention,” she continued, “I really wasn’t, but those little girls, they deserve an apology.”
On Monday (July 18), Sesame Place Philadelphia shared a new statement with Billboard. “We sincerely apologize to the family for their experience in our park on Saturday; we know that it’s not OK. We are taking actions to do better. We are committed to making this right,” the park said. “We will conduct training for our employees so they better understand, recognize and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience to our guests. For over 40 years Sesame Place has worked to uphold the values of respect, inclusion and belonging. We are committed to doing a better job making children and families feel special, seen and included when they come to our parks.”
