by Jeff Fecke | July 8, 2009 •I’m sure glad that the election of Barack Obama means the end of all racism. I mean, otherwise, one would read this article about a Philadelphia swim club that banned 60 paying African-American kids from their pool because they would “change the complexion” of the club and think that there was sure a lot of overt racism still going on in this country:
| Jeff Fecke is a freelance writer who lives in Eagan, Minnesota.In addition to his own blog, Blog of the Moderate Left, he also contributes to Alas, a Blog, Minnesota Campaign Report, and AlterNet. Fecke has appeared as a guest on the “Today” show, the Alan Colmes radio show, and the Mark Heaney Show. Fecke is divorced, and the father of one really terrific daughter. His debut novel, The Valkyrie’s Tale, is now available. |
The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1,900 to the Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers’ first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.
“When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool,” Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. “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.”
The next day the club told the camp director that the camp’s membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.
“I said, ‘The parents don’t want the refund. They want a place for their children to swim,’” camp director Aetha Wright said.
Don’t worry, though. There’s a perfectly logical explanation that totally shows this isn’t racist.
“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club,” John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.
Well, yes, the complexion would probably change from lily white. Which is a bad thing because…uh…non-white people are inferior. But that’s not racist. As noted, Obama’s election has ended racism forever. And thank God, because otherwise, this kind of crap would make me ashamed to be a white person.
(Via Jill Tubman)
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