Quinton Burns knows he witnessed a "racist act" at the Sesame Street theme park in Philadelphia.

He claims in a $25-million lawsuit that Ernie and Telly Monster were marching along in a parade and made a point of snubbing his daughter, Kennedi, who had her hand outstretched in anticipation of a "high five" from one of the characters.

Kennedi, age 5, didn't even receive a wave.

"Just looking at her face," Mr. Burns recounted at a press conference announcing the lawsuit, "it makes me want to cry every time I see it," he says in reference to the video clip making the rounds on YouTube.

Mr. Burns may indeed have a better chance of settling on a sizable sum now that his complaint has attracted the attention of other black families, alleging the same snobbish behavior from theme park performers.  They have filed a class action lawsuit against the holding company, SeaWorld Parks.

Rhetoric is heating up with Malcolm Ruff, attorney for the Burns family, expressing his "shock and dismay" regarding such blatant racist behavior when introducing the lawsuit at the press conference.  "She [Kennedi] was ignored amongst a sea of other young white children who were able to interact, give hugs, and high fives," Ruff said.  "Kennedi was forced to experience racism at the age of five.  This is unacceptable, and we will not stand by and let this continue."

SeaWorld executives didn't lose any time in issuing a conciliatory apology and promising to take the incident "very seriously."  They have assured the public that the company will "conduct bias training [programs] and hold a thorough review of the ways in which employees engage with families and guests."

Such profuse apologies haven't altered that status of the legal action pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

No matter the attempts made by the company for Burns to meet the characters, he wishes to proceed with the filing.  And he is finding support from even high-ranking political circles: members of the Congressional Black Caucus are adding their voices of indignation to the chorus of outrage.

"Over the past week, we've seen multiple glaring examples of racism coming from the park," members of the Black Caucus wrote in a joint statement.  "This includes the viral video in which two beautiful little black girls were blatantly rejected by a character they idolized while white children were embraced."

If the case goes to a jury, members of the panel must decide whether Telly Monster intentionally snubbed children "of color" or truly shook a finger in their direction.  And did Ernie fail to conduct himself with the "inclusivity" befitting of the corporate culture fostered among the ranks of the Sesame Street Gang.

Burns insists he saw what he saw, but did the masked employees share the same advantage of unimpaired vision?

SeaWorld executives have asked the public to factor in that Ernie's and Telly's costume of googly eyes and oversized masks compromise the employees' visibility — especially in the area of low and small objects.  Charges of racism leave executives scrambling for answers, no matter the merit or ambiguity of the claims.

The company has also attempted to exonerate its Sesame Street characters, pointing out that they simply can't see everyone, nor greet every guest at the park.  The crowds are dense, with waving children and adult fans, and the costumed characters must keep up with the marching parade.

No doubt the executives are poring over hundreds of hours of footage to determine the frequency with which the Sesame Street characters "meet and greet" guests of all ethnic backgrounds, verifying that they live up to their reputation of being an honored American institution.  That would be without a hint of institutionalized racism.

All things considered, the case may end up turning into a Rorschach inkblot test — in which the viewers' perceptions vary based on their own life filters, seeing what they choose to see.

Image: Wally Gobetz.