Racism Alive And Well In The Philadelphia Suburbs
The Valley Swim Club (currently 404 error – but someone saved it to archive.org…THANKS!) in Huntingdon Valley, PA appears to have a problem with minorities in their pool.
Pool Boots Kids Who Might “Change The Complexion”.
A summer day camp from Northeast Philly paid $1900 to the Valley Swim Club to allow their campers to use the pool. However, when the campers actually arrived the white kids already in the pool got out and the lifeguards told the campers that the pool doesn’t allow minorities.
I’ve looked over their rules (PDF) and I don’t see a pigmentation clause anywhere. IANAL, but it seems to me that every aspect of this swim club’s finances should be examined. If they are getting ANY public funding AT ALL it should be revoked and they should pay it back with interest. People are allowed to exclude membership to whomever they want (again, IANAL) but the public shouldn’t be subsidizing that exclusion.
It is good to know about this club since it is located close to my home. At least I’ll know where not to join and not to let my children visit.
This is shameful…
(Update): The comments to the NBC Philadelphia article are even more repulsive than the original action. It is sickening that people think like this.
(Update 2): My Wife pointed me to another, more complete, article.
July 10, 2009 at 9:06 am
[...] There Is Nothing New Under The Sun and I Aim To Prove It « Racism Alive And Well In The Philadelphia Suburbs [...]
July 11, 2009 at 11:25 am
I know the club well. It was within bike-riding distance from our house, but I only got to see a tour of the place. Despite my cardiac surgeon father and white mother, it didn’t matter. I was an Indian Jew – two major strikes.
July 11, 2009 at 11:37 am
I expected as much. I imagine we will be hearing more and more people coming out talking about the silent racism from this club.
The last article I posted mentions a club member who “can’t recall seeing a minority in the past two years”. Nice….