Chuck E. Cheese Accused of Racism After Seemingly Ignoring Child

On Twitter, a frustrated mother shared a video of her Black daughter seemingly being ignored by the titular mascot at a local Chuck E. Cheese in an instance of alleged racial discrimination.

Twitter user Natyana Muhammad, who posts under the handle @belllahijabi, shared a video of her 2-year-old daughter waiting for a chance to interact with the iconic character as he exchanged high fives with a group of children on a platform. After finishing with the other children, he appeared to snub Muhammad's daughter in a move she deemed racist.

"On July 30 at Chuck E Cheese in Wayne, NJ, my 2yo was racially discriminated against," she wrote alongside the video. "As you can see, he gives all of the yt kids hi-5s & PURPOSELY ignored my black baby. When confronted, he ignored me as well."

Muhammad added she spoke to the manager who apologized for how she felt but claimed the mascot "didn't see" the little girl. However, the mom didn't buy their explanation.

"She put her hand out. It was her turn. He just put his hand in and down acting like he didn't see her," Muhammad told ABC-7. She added that her daughter continued to attempt to get the mouse's attention but was unsuccessful.

Muhammad said the character took the snub even further, explaining, "It's not just that he ignored my daughter, we were at a birthday party so he didn't acknowledge the table we were at either."

The mom added that her daughter was finally able to pose for a photo with Chuck E. Cheese after she spoke to management. However, she said that the magic was gone in the moment.

Meanwhile, Chuck E. Cheese shared a statement with the outlet:

"Chuck E. Cheese is saddened when any family or child has a less than perfect experience. As home to millions of families and kids every year that celebrate the big and small milestones, including fun, our goal is to create an inclusive experience for children and parents of all ages, races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, and learning differences. Our mission is to provide a fun and a safe place Where A Kid Can Be A Kid, and all cast members are trained to ensure that we live up to this promise."

The video comes a few weeks after a character at Sesame Place was similarly accused of ignoring two Black children during a parade. In a statement shared on Instagram, the park apologized and claimed the character was unable to see the girls because of the costume.

Muhammad's video has been viewed more than 3 million times on Twitter to date, amassing more than 80,000 likes.

Check out some responses, below:

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