Legoland performers ignored Black children, lawsuit alleges
NEW YORK - Two women are suing the Legoland theme park for racial discrimination because they say park performers ignored their children, who are Black, during a dance party.
In a video from June 14, 2022, characters can be seen dancing with a group of young children at the Legoland theme park in Goshen, Orange County, New York.
Breana Ramsay told FOX 5 NY that the characters blatantly ignored her daughter and her sister-in-law's son. She claims not one of the characters included their children in the dance party and that one of them even walked around their kids to avoid dancing with them.
Breana and Shaquana Johnson-Williams are suing Legoland for an undisclosed amount after posting the video on Instagram last week. They tagged the amusement park in the post.
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The theme park says the video does not tell the entire story.
"Providing a safe, fun environment for children and their families is our number one priority. As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we immediately attempted to contact the guest and opened an urgent investigation," Legoland said in a statement to FOX 5 NY. "Our company has zero tolerance for any behavior which doesn't make our guests feel fully included. We always strive to create an environment and experience where everyone feels welcome."
A Legoland spokesperson said the company was not aware of the incident until six weeks after it happened and that CCTV footage from the 17-minute performance shows that the characters interacted with all the children at one point or another, including the children at the center of the lawsuit.
The park also says the woman never responded to their request to contact them so they could discuss the incident.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified claims as part of the discrimination suit.
A recent incident at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania gained national attention. In a video from that incident, a character seems to ignore Black children.