[Ronit]

I recently visited Walt Disney World in Florida and was surprised there were so few African Americans. Although this can be a very expensive amusement park, I feel many African Americans have discretionary funds for this. Disney tends to encompass many ethnic groups and isn't a typical Waspy institution. Do African Americans not enjoy this type of holiday?

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Name : Ronit, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 38, City : Mississauga, State : NA Country : Canada, Occupation : Self-employed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Salomé]

Black people do go to Disney World; you probably just went on a day when there weren't too many of us there. I went to Disney MGM and Epcot Center and found many black people there.

Here's something I find interesting, though: A friend and I were discussing the fact that Disney has never made a cartoon with black African/African-American people in it (and no, the Lion King does not count). Are we mistaken, or is this true? The reason I ask is that almost every other ethnic group has been depicted in animation by Disney (although not so favorably at times), but not black African/African-Americans. I point this out because it is important for children to see themselves in the products they buy (really, that their parents buy) into and the shows they watch.

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Name : Salomé, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 25, City : St. Paul, State : MN Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Amy31609]

I can't speak for all African-Americans, but I loved going to Disney World as a young girl and can't wait until I can go back as an adult, with or without children. As the other poster mentioned, maybe you did not go on a day when there were lots of other blacks there. On one hand, it's not entirely fair to make an assumption like that unless you are studying the evidence over a great period of time. On the other hand, maybe there is a lower African-American customer base at Walt Disney World due to factors such as a ticket price that not everyone can afford, lack of vacation time, etc. But those factors can be a part of any race, not strictly African American.

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Name : Amy31609, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : New Orleans, State : LA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Impressive-Instant21384]

I've been to Walt Disney World and I didn't enjoy my experience. I felt an air of racism and I could feel it everywhere I went (no I wasn't being paranoid) the workers at WDW would treat me and my family horribly and some of the park goers were some of the most racist people you would ever encounter. Needless to say, I enjoy Disneyland more.

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Name : Impressive-Instant21384, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 18, City : Gardena, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Rain30214]

I think you answered the question yourself. Walt Disney World can be quite expensive for a family. Given that the African American population in the United States is (I'm guessing) about 12% of the total population and only a percentage of this group will have the income and the lifestlye to be interested in going to Disney World, I'm not surprised you didn't see many of us there. My family (three households) has visited Disney World twice. The first time we visited, the oldest child was less than eight years old. The last time we visited, the oldest children were seniors in high school. We used this trip as our last opportunity for the kids to get together before they grew up. When we travel, we see very few people who look like us.

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Name : Rain30214, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Methodist, Age : 44, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rhiannon]

Perhaps it's because Disney is the whitest place on earth? Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. But Walt Disney intended those parks, and his animated films, to represent rigid middle-class, conservative 'family' values. Disney is seriously ideological, despite its reputation for being innocuous family fun.

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Name : Rhiannon, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 28, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Media studies graduate student, 

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