a matter of complexion

[realthog]

I got an e-mail today from the excellent ColorofChange.org. It reads:

Dear Paul,

 

Two weeks ago outside Philadelphia, 65 children from a summer camp tried to go swimming at a club that their camp had a contract to use. Apparently, the people at the club didn't know that the group of kids was predominantly Black.

When the campers entered the pool, White parents allegedly took their kids out of the water, and the swimming club's staff asked the campers to leave. The next day, the club told the summer camp that their membership would be canceled and that their payment would be refunded. When asked why, the club's manager said that a lot of kids "would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."¹

A "Whites only" pool in 2009 should not be tolerated. The club's actions appear to be a violation of section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act.² Whether or not any laws were violated, a "Whites only" pool should be something every American condemns.

Please join us in doing exactly that, and please email your friends and family and invite them to do the same. Your signature will also be used to call on the Department of Justice to evaluate suing the facility under federal law. It takes just a moment to do both, here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1769-186583

Obama is President but that doesn't mean that suddenly all is fine when it comes to race in America. This is a vivid reminder of what we know still lies beneath the surface.

We all know stories like this one -- similar incidents play out quietly every day in different communities across the country. The difference in this case is that folks got caught and there was a contract in place that makes for a potentially illegal act.

Standing up now isn't just about making things right for these kids in Philadelphia or bringing consequences to this swim club (called the Valley Swim Club). It's about creating a climate of accountability everywhere. If we can publicly shame the Valley Swim Club and hold them accountable for this incident, it will make others think twice before engaging in what appears to be blatant discrimination.

Please join us in condemning the Valley Swim Club's behavior and calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether they violated civil rights laws. And please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1769-186583

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   July 10th, 2009

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU -- your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/?id=1769-186583

References:

1. "'Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion,'" NBC Philadelphia, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/90Zyr

2. "Section 1981 Summary," Employment Law Information Network
http://www.elinfonet.com/1981sum.php

More Resources:

"60 Black Kids Booted from Philly Pool For Being Black -- Speak Out," Jill Tubman at Jack and Jill Politics, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/GkJTs

VIDEO: "Please Don't Change the Complexion of our Pool," This Week in Blackness, 07-08-09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saTCMJVYljU

"Swim Club Accused of Discrimination," FOX 29 Philadelphia, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/7EKGy

"Valley Swim Club: Day Two," Adam B at Daily Kos, 07-08-09
http://bit.ly/qbpSA

Please, if you can find a moment, add your name to the petition. This kind of barbarism shouldn't be tolerated in a supposedly civilized society.

Comments

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"People just can hardly believe this kind of thinking and talk and behavior is still going on in 2009."

Well, I'm one of those hardly-believers, as you may have guessed.

What strains the credulity to breaking point is that this isn't a story from some Bible Belt state where they still think Jesus lurves the KKK; some dump ruled by inbred white trash like Jena. This is near one of our major cities and cultural hubs.

[rose-lemberg.livejournal.com]

Exactly - it's hard for me to believe this still happens.

Thank you for posting this.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

And probably at least half of the people involved announced loudly and long how they wept, wept they declared! for such great grateful joy when it was announced that Obama was the new POTUS.

Love, c.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"And probably at least half of the people involved announced loudly and long how they wept, wept they declared! for such great grateful joy when it was announced that Obama was the new POTUS."

Hm. Actually, I'd guess most of these atavists thought O GAWD IT IS AN OFFENSE AGAINST JEEBUS THAT THIS MAN WITH DEEP SUNTAN DUN BIN ELECTED (is that how you spell "elected," Bubba?).

I find it extraordinarily difficult to be charitable towards this country's white trash. They could have all that the modern world offers; instead they choose to expend their energies in irrational hatred.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Not the traditional description of white trash, as this was a private swim club, and it was the members, who pay hefty membership fees, who complained.

Love, C.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"it was the members, who pay hefty membership fees, who complained"

I'd call them white trash.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

Trash is as trash does.

Love, C.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"Trash is as trash does."

Precisely.