Dear Sesame Place: Here Are Three Ways To Actually Address Racist Practices

A viral video of two Black children being?ignored ?at a “Sesame Street” theme park by character Rosita has sparked outrage and allegations of racism. There have since been a series of?more videos ?of Black parents sharing the discrimination that their children experienced from different “Sesame Street” characters. Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration pushed forwarded a series of programming to address poverty and racial injustice and “Sesame Street” was created to close that gap. A 2019?Smithsonian Magazine?article ?written by Bryan Greene indicates “‘Sesame Street’ has been rooted in African-American culture, more specifically the historically black community of Harlem.” The roots and origin of “Sesame Street” make the treatment of these Black children at Sesame Place theme park even more egregious. This article seeks to highlight why Sesame Place’s solution of?bias training ?does not address the root cause of this issue. This article also outlines three ways that Sesame Place and other organizations can adopt anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices built on equity and justice.

1.?Anti-racist hiring practices. Prior to hiring anyone at Sesame Place, or any other workplace, there should be anti-racist hiring practices baked into the hiring process. Where are employees being sourced from? What are their experiences, particularly with individuals from different racial backgrounds? It’s important to also understand that being from a racially marginalized background doesn’t prevent someone from?buying into ?oppressive systems like?colorism ?and?anti-blackness . What experience do employees have working with the different communities that represent the customer base? Who is evaluating job candidates? Is there a diverse panel of people assessing candidates? Having more people helping with the decision-making process can mitigate potential bias, but it’s imperative that those involved in the process are part of diverse communities. Are employees being evaluated based on diversity, equity and inclusion metrics? Think about including questions in employment interviews to assess candidate awareness when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consider introducing policies that make it clear that racist behavior will not be tolerated and that discrimination will carry?swift and immediate consequences.

2.?Ongoing and continuous education. Organizations and institutions must provide continuous and ongoing education for employees, especially those working with marginalized communities. Does Sesame Place, for example, provide employees with education about the?adultification bias ? The adultification bias is prevalent issue within the Black community and anyone working with and around Black children and children from other racially marginalized backgrounds should have an understanding of this type of bias and other types of bias that impact and affect decision-making. What education are you providing employees with? What are the gaps in understanding? Where do employees lack in understanding and what continued programming will help to close these gaps? Employees working with minoritized populations should also take the initiative and educate themselves about different populations. When assessing job candidates during the employment interview, ask candidates about what continued learning looks like for them, and how they educate themselves about groups and communities outside of their own.

3.?Customer evaluations and appraisals. Customers should have the opportunity to rate and evaluate any employee they interact with within an organization, institution or establishment. After the aforementioned viral video from Sesame Place came out, other Black parents started sharing similar experiences that they had witnessed, which points to a pervasive issue that has persisted. If Sesame Place allows customers to easily leave detailed and thorough feedback and is?actually?taking that feedback into consideration, issues of racism are easier to spot and address before they manifest into larger problems. Many organizations have a standard practice where customers can give feedback, but this feedback is invited as a cosmetic measure and is not analyzed or taken into consideration. Within many organizations and institutions, the process to provide feedback is complex and convoluted, making the average customer or consumer less likely to give it. Every workplace where employees interact with customers must ensure that feedback is measured on a continuous and ongoing basis and that strategies are developed to address the feedback given.

This article was originally published in Forbes .

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