On June 26, 2009
"Days before a Northeast Philadelphia day camp's membership at a private suburban swim club was rescinded, several of the campers said they had heard racial remarks about themselves at the pool.
Parents and staff members of Creative Steps Inc. day camp are considering legal action against the Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley, said Alethea Wright, the camp's executive director.
...It was their first visit to the club, but the camp had made arrangements for weekly trips on Mondays through Aug. 10."
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Creative Steps camp had arranged for 65 mostly black and Hispanic children to swim each Monday afternoon at the club this summer. But director Alethea Wright said that shortly after they arrived for their first visit, some children reported hearing racial comments, and the camp's $1,950 was refunded a few days later.
The Daily Times
My Fox Philly
"The president of the Valley Club, John Duesler, told Fox 29 by phone the club "underestimated the impact the children would have." He said they "fundamentally changed the atmosphere" at the pool.
But Duesler insisted race "had nothing to do with the decision" to rescind the agreement. He did admit several club members had complained, but insisted none of those complaints involved race."
My Fox Philly
President of the Valley Club John G. Duesler Jr. response to the charges:
The campers from Creative Steps were then re-invited to the Valley Club. Creative Steps declined the offer.
"After Duesler was roundly criticized for saying the influx of day-camp swimmers had changed the club's "complexion" - a poor word choice, he later said - the club was picketed repeatedly last week.
Over the weekend, Duesler and other board members opted to reinstate the day camps' contracts. At a hastily called Sunday afternoon general membership meeting, the overwhelming vote was to ask the day campers to return - and to find a way to manage safety concerns related to having dozens of children in the pool at a time, such as using more lifeguards.
"It was nearly unanimous," Duesler said. "There was one 'no' vote.
"I don't want to go back," Creative Steps camper Jabriel Brown, 12, said yesterday. "I don't want to get treated the same."
"I'm afraid if we go back, we'll get put in the same situation," Baylor said.
"That was a rude comment that they made," said Shuron Davis, 11. "I don't want to go through that again."
Philadelphia Inquirer
Yesterday the State of Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission found in favor of one of the campers. Their findings were that:
"The racial animus . . . and the racially-coded comments" by club members at the Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley were the reasons the club revoked Creative Steps Inc.'s contract, according to a 33-page report by the Human Relations Commission and released tonight by an attorney who represents four of the campers.
The commission ordered the club to pay a $50,000 civil penalty for the club's discrimination again one child, whose parents filed the complaint with the commission.
The report also orders Valley Club to pay other damages, including reimbursing the parent who filed the complaint for all related expenses. If there is no settlement made between the parent, the club and the commission, either party can request a public hearing before the commission and can after that be challenged in court."
Philadelphia Inquirer
According to the article, the Human Relations Commission found that when the club tried to market their membership to minorities, mailouts were directed to majority white communities.
In response to the Human Relations Commission’s findings in the Inquirer article the president of the Valley Club stated that he has not read the commissions results.
My take is that this is despicable.
When I first heard about this incident I asked myself how could this happen in 2009. Sometimes I think when we as human beings attempt to move forward in our spiritual, mental and emotional development there are always forces who want to drag us back into the Stone Age especially with their antiquated views of "race".
I see this as opportunity for all of us to take creative steps forward in combating racism. Gandhi said, "fear is not a disease of the body; fear kills the soul." I do not think the owners of the club or the members that were there on June 26, 2009 were being blatantly malicious towards the campers. I think they were afraid. The question is how do we take creative steps to combat this fear? For me it is acceptance.
As a mother of these two little boys I have always taught them to celebrate the differences of others.
I disagree with those who say I should raise my kids to be colorblind. It is my belief that if you are blind to one part of someone than you are blind to the entire person. Even at their young age, it is imperative to tell them that it is our unique hues, languages, cultures, mores and experiences that shape who we are. One of my favorite quotes by President Carter is,"we have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams."
Let this be an expensive lesson learned to those who want to discriminate. The country is changing and it is time that bigots accept this. As we bid adieu to one hot summer of teabaggers, birthers, deathers and racists lets remember what Maya Angelou said,"when people show you who they are, believe them." Lets continue to take creative steps forward.
H/T Adam B
Human Relations Commission finding (pdf)