Kids from a summer camp in Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private pool, apparently because of their race. The Creative Steps Day Camp paid almost $2000 to The Valley Swim Club, which is private but advertises open membership.
After the 60 kids arrived, however, it seemed they weren’t so welcome. Horace Gibson, a parent of a camper, told MSNBC:
The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately.
Would you like it in Valley Swim Club’s own words? John Duesler (feel free to pronounce that in any “similar” way you might need), the president of the club, said in a statement, which I assume he had the time to read before he issued:
There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.
I bring this to you not because it’s green parenting news, but because you, too, are probably trying to teach tolerance to your sweet little ones. And in my house, my children get the lesson by the differences in their own skin tones.
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My son, Little L, is biracial. I left his father, my fiance, when I was pregnant. He’s almost 4 now (this Saturday!), and has begun to notice that he doesn’t quite look the same as the rest of us. His gorgeous dreadlocks don’t give it away. His [white, btw] stepdaddy has blond dreads to his rear. But lately he’s noticed his “tan” is darker than ours.
Mama, I’m dark but Baby E is light, right? That’s why I have a dark baby and he has a light baby.
(No, we don’t normally color-code their toys! They each got organic dolls of different races when they were babies.)
Right now, I simply respond that they sure are different…they’re different boys! Of course, as time goes on, I’ll have to explain his wonderful, beautiful differences in greater detail.
And as I live in rural Virginia, I’m sure he may come across those who see his color as less than beautiful. I hope we give him the foundation of self-confidence to face that.
But I also hope that he never encounters rotten people like the ones who operate this apparently whites-only club. They owe these children much, much more than a refund. Like the courtesy to step into a time machine and go back to wherever “their kind” came from.
Frustrated, too? E-mail the Club at info@thevalleyclub.com.
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Image: Image Editor on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
I can’t believe theses sorts of things still happen in the US, and it sickens me.
As a child my best friend was a the little boy next door. His family was african-american. It never occurred to me, as a child, that that was any different than the fact that I was a brunette and my brother a blonde. I figured people looked different because people came in all shapes and colors. It wasn’t until much later that I learned that a lot of people act like there’s a big difference, and its sad to know that little kids are more enlightened than adults on this issue.
I worry sometimes that my daughter isn’t exposed to minorities often enough because we live in an extremely white villiage. In her class last year the “minority” child (singular) was a little pale blonde boy who’s mother happened to be from Mexico.
I wish she were exposed to greater diversity because diversity is a beautiful thing. The fact that these pool attendants treat it as something ugly is beyond sad. A homogenous population is an unhealthy one, and their (likely illegal) homogenous policies are likewise.
There will always be racist people. It is awful, but true.
What I don’t understand is how this is even legal????
Disgusting.
The story is so disturbing to me. I had to look it up myself & check the date! This IS 2009, right? Its truly sickening, and I feel for the children. And to think this happened in MY city! Ey yi yi.
I urge anyone who is offended by this club’s previously unwritten rule to e-mail or write a letter to them sharing your disgust. The following is my letter in its entirety. Too harsh? Perhaps. But no worse than what these children–CHILDREN!–were told.
Mr. Duesler:
I was wondering if my beautiful biracial son would be allowed to swim at your pool? He passes the paper bag test, but I’m sure he would indeed “change the complexion” of the pool compared to its usual lily-white users.
As you can imagine, I was outraged and disgusted that your club would have the gall and ignorance to have such a policy. But you’ve obviously made it clear that you also have the idiocy to make such a policy public by your statement. I assume that you had the time and ability to read it before it was splashed across the headlines? Or perhaps someone read it to you? It must be hard to read with that hood on.
Your behavior and the policy of your club is a disgrace to the white community and Philadelphia in particular and to humanity overall.
I am appalled. I have continued to pass on the news of your club’s policy through a blog, and I hope others do the same.
Cate Nelson
Natural parenting blogs from a sassy mama.
blog.thenatureschild.com
ecochildsplay.com
Gross. That is all that is. Gross. The fact that this is still happening today is just crazy. Talking about it and making people aware is the best cure over time. Awareness is key! Thanks for making us all aware!
I sent a e-mail requesting the immediate firing of all those involved including Mr. Duesler. Of course it is the members of the club that really need to be contacted. If their businesses are boycotted – and they and their bosses are told the reason and forced to make sure the policy is changed.
Vax,
So the president–the representative–of this club used MORE THAN ONCE an obsolete meaning of the word “complexion”? Did he use this term for white kids, too? Your point shows, then, that he’s inarticulate and insensitive and stumbles his way through interviews. It doesn’t warrant him keeping his job.
And how exactly would they change the “attitude or inclination” of the pool?
I have to say that yours is a very poor excuse for this idiot. I hope that you never, ever have to make a public statement.
Maybe you have a future as Sarah Palin’s speech writer?
There are other meanings of the word complexion:
complexion: a point of view or general attitude or inclination;
I am pretty sure he meant it in this context. The man used a poor choice of words considering the situation.
The pool had turned away 3 other camps, one included mainly all white swimmers, the media is blowing this out of context.
Vax–um, yeah, but it’s a particularly *telling* poor choice of words, don’t you think? Yes, complexion does have that second definition, but it’s by way of reference to the first. Freudian slip, I’d say.
And if they’re so worried about having too many kids in the pool, why didn’t that occur to them when they sold memberships worth nearly $2000 to a summer camp? Duh. Did they think the kids were coming one at a time?
The media isn’t taking this out of context; these people just got caught out in their bigotry.
Akron police say they aren’t ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.
But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.
It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium. Marshall, his family and two friends were gathered outside a friend’s home in South Akron.
Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ”This is our world” and ”This is a black world” as they confronted Marshall and his family.
The Marshalls, who are white, say the crowd of teens who attacked them and two friends June 27 on Girard Street numbered close to 50. The teens were all black.
http://www.ohio.com/news/50172282.html
Apparently the swim club also disinvited a couple of other camps as well as this one. So it doesn’t seem like this is really a case of racism.
If I’d paid a lot of money for my family to belong to a chi-chi pool, I’d likely be annoyed at there being a bunch of rowdy outsiders and complain to management too.
I take this personally, my adopted sister is african-american and I love her as if she was my own blood sister and anyone who tried to pull that with her, I promise you that I would put such a hurt on those people that they would never forget it. these people are nothing but blatant racist pigs