A 17-month-old Black boy stood waiting for his turn during a library-sponsored puppet show in Connecticut, watching as a performer entertained other children.
His father claims the woman holding the puppet repeatedly appeared to see his son without acknowledging him. The encounter left him questioning whether the librarian treated his son differently because of his race.
The incident has prompted investigations after the boy’s parents posted a video online that has drawn millions of views and thousands of comments, dividing viewers over whether the footage shows a child being deliberately excluded or captures an interaction without enough context to establish what happened.
Micah Whitaker, the boy’s father, said he began recording after watching what he believed was unequal treatment at an outdoor story time event at Darien Commons, a residential and retail complex. The Darien Library organized the event earlier this month.
The video, shared on TikTok on Oct. 6, shows a librarian performing with a puppet while several children gather around her. Messiah Whitaker, Micah Whitaker’s 17-month-old son, stands off to the side with his mother, Jae-Lin Reid, as the performer interacts with other children.
Whitaker said the family had been watching for several minutes before he decided to record. He estimated that the woman had ignored them for between five and 10 minutes, though he acknowledged that she appeared to look at his son during the encounter.
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“You can see in the video; she did look at him at least once or twice. So, you would think eventually, you know, she wouldn’t show him a little bit of attention,” Whitaker said.
He said his son was waiting patiently for an opportunity to interact with the puppet but never received the attention other children did.
“My son was being very patient,” Whitaker said. “He was just waiting for his turn, and he couldn’t get any attention out of her.”
The family also alleged that the performer put the puppet away before bringing it back out after they began walking away. Whitaker said the experience was deeply upsetting and that the family wanted an explanation and an apology. He said he believed the employee should be fired.
“My son deserved the same attention that all the other kids were getting,” Whitaker said.
The Norwalk NAACP is investigating the incident after someone alerted the organization to the video. Brenda Penn-Williams, president of the chapter, said the footage raised concerns about how the child appeared to be treated.
“That wasn’t right for them to do that,” Penn-Williams said. “And there should be some type of consequences.”
Mark McElveen of the Norwalk NAACP also questioned the interaction shown in the video.
“It does look like the librarian can see them. And to see that little kid standing out there like that, if he was ignored, that’s shameful. You know, to have a little kid be ignored like that is troubling in itself,” McElveen said.
The library has hired an outside law firm to investigate and has placed the employee on paid administrative leave while the inquiry continues, according to ABC7. Library Director Kiera Parrott said the organization was taking the family’s concerns seriously and planned to speak with Messiah’s mother.
“Our library is committed to being a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for every patron, especially our youngest patrons and their families and caregivers,” Parrott said in an emailed statement.
The NAACP said the librarian initially told investigators that she had not noticed Messiah standing off to the side. Investigators are seeking additional video that could provide a fuller picture of the encounter.
Whitaker and Reid spoke with Parrott by phone Wednesday morning. Whitaker said the director apologized and explained that an independent investigation was underway.
“I think they’re taking the right steps,” Whitaker said. “I’m happy that they are doing their investigation. Hopefully, they do their due diligence. It’s definitely a step forward.”
The investigations are expected to help establish what happened during the event and whether the employee’s conduct violated the library’s commitment to treating young patrons and their families inclusively.
@takethewillmike 💔 AS PARENTS , THIS BROKE OUR HEARTS. (PLEASE WATCH AND SHARE ) Please watch the full video and tell us what you think. Are we wrong for feelings this way ? She clearly seen our son multiple times. Every child deserves to feel SEEN. Every child deserves to feel INCLUDED. EVERY CHILD MATTERS. This woman seen in the video works at the Darien Library , and what happened left us deeply hurt and questioning why our son was treated differently. #DarienCT #darienlibrary #everychildmatters #fyp #viraltiktok ♬ original sound – Micah
