To the two Black girls snubbed at Sesame Place, this column is for you

To the two little Black girls who were rejected by a costumed character during a recent parade at Sesame Place: Let me begin by pointing out that you are worthy of love and acceptance.

You are precious.

You are beautiful, and you are special.

And you deserve as many hugs as your hearts desire. You may not have felt that way when a performer portraying the turquoise Rosita character appeared to refuse to high-five you during a parade at Sesame Place in Langhorne. Like any other Sesame Place fan, you wanted a hug and to be acknowledged by one of your favorite characters. Instead, the Rosita character waved its hand in your direction and walked its googly-eyed self right past you, leaving you feeling disappointed and probably a little confused.

Watching that now-viral, nine-second video of your interaction with Rosita, many of us hurt right along with you. We know how it feels to be ignored. We’ve been there, too.

Sesame Place says it’s sorry and has issued multiple statements apologizing and making excuses — such as the costumes may have made it difficult for the performer to see you. Amusement park officials also said the dismissive-looking, hand-waving gesture wasn’t directed at the two of you, and was meant for someone else in the crowd asking them to carry their child. They insist that “the Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore” you, and is “devastated about the misunderstanding.” The theme park says it will institute anti-bias training for its employees.

» READ MORE: Family sues Sesame Place for racial discrimination, alleging characters ignored 5-year-old Black girl

But those are all big, grown-up words.

You’re still young children; each of you is just 6 years old. You still believe in make believe and in the magic of your favorite, larger-than-life characters at Sesame Place. Whether or not the character meant to snub you, the fact is it did. And that hurts.

What happened during your Sesame Place visit may have been your first hint that the world isn’t always a welcoming place. It’s not. Especially for people of color or those who may appear different in some way. That’s a painful lesson that many other people have learned firsthand; I’m sad you know this at just 6 years old, and we couldn’t protect you from it until you were older.

But that’s no excuse for you not to try your hardest and to be the best that you can be. Because that will help make this world a more welcoming place for other boys and girls.

Realize that the two of you are not alone on this journey. As you get older, you’ll learn about famous, accomplished people who have faced all kinds of challenges and excelled in spite of them. You’ll read about media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who was born into poverty and became pregnant at 14. You’ll learn about Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, former first lady Michelle Obama, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, and so many more. You will eventually hear the words of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told young women in her concession speech after losing her chance to become America’s first female president: “Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in this world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

Heed those words. Believe in yourself. Dream bigger than big.

And learn from everything that happens to you, including your experience at Sesame Place.

It may seem like a big deal now, but not getting a hug from Rosita will one day become just a small footnote in your amazing lives. We don’t know who performed the character of Rosita that day. All we can hope for is that they do better going forward.

Years from now, you’ll look back on that video and your heart will ache a little for the loss of innocence you suffered.

But you’ll also draw strength from all of the attorneys, protesters, and other Sesame Place visitors who have banded together on your behalf. You will do your research and read the many news reports about what happened. You will be amazed to see how so many strangers cared and stood up for you. You will realize just how supported you were.

That knowledge will help make you strong.

Hopefully, it also will inspire you to stand up for what’s right, not just for yourselves but for others as well.

Also, you will look back and realize that you learned a valuable lesson that sometimes takes decades for adults to figure out: Never accept less than you deserve from anyone — especially a goofy-looking character named Rosita.