If you haven’t heard about the “whites only” pool yet, this one is a doozy.
More than 60 campers from Northeast Philadelphia were turned away from a private swim club and left to wonder if their race was the reason.
Kids at Creative Steps Day Camp were thrilled to go swimming once a week at the Valley Swim Club. But after only one trip to the private club, they were…
“I heard this lady, she was like, ‘Uh, what are all these black kids doing here?’ She’s like, ‘I’m scared they might do something to my child,’” said camper Dymire Baylor.
The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 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.
And then comes the money quotation, from the President of the club, John Duesler:
“There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club,”
“Complexion”? “Atmosphere”? Really? You really just went there, didn’t you, Mr. Duesler? You might have gotten away with that shit if you had just said “atmosphere,” but you had to go and throw in that bit about the “complexion” of the club, didn’t you?
Mr. Duesler, your shit is showing, and it ain’t pretty.
My first thought, upon reading about this, was the same as Elon James White of This Week in Blackness. Total shock. Not so much at the thought that people think this way, but that people in this day and age say this shit out loud and do this shit in public (for fear of someone suing their ass off, of course, not out of embarrassment for being a bigot).
I was born ‘78. I’m not supposed to write about White’s only pools. I’m supposed to write about the subtle racism one finds in corporate America or perhaps while being followed in a department store.
For reals. I swear we’ve become so post-racial these days we’ve come full circle back to just full on, outright, in-your-face, no-holds-barred, some-fool-might-burn-a-cross-in-my-yard-next week, blatant racism. If you were unfortunate enough to see the original comments thread at the NBC Philadelphia link above, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That thread made your average YouTube thread look educated and informed (the thread has since been taken down from the site). Don’t worry, however, Elon. There was plenty of subtle racism going on in the coverage of this story such that folks like you and I can keep on blogging a-plenty. Yes, even the commentary on this event that tried to be, erm, civil, was blatantly offensive.
There were the “well, this incident was obviously racist, but people wouldn’t have to be so obviously racist if folks like Jesse Jackson and Al sharpton would just shut up (and all those damn coloreds would just stop talking about Michael Jackson)” responses. [Update: I linked to the wrong post as an example of this sort of BS thinking. I apologize to the author, who was rightfully pissed off about my mis-characterizing his post. I do, however, still have some major issues with his post, just not the ones that I am talking about here. I've removed the link to his post and will try to find the post that I meant to link to and replace it.]
Then there was someone, going by the name of “Johnny Bean,” that seemed to take a lot of pride in pointing out on every website and blog he or she could find that John Duesler was an Obama supporter. I can only assume because that just proves beyond any doubt that all Obama supporters are the real racists. And terrorists. And communists. And vegetarians.
And then there was the completely inexplicable, like this (click to enlarge):
If I had it, I would pay good money to anyone who can explain to me why a “nobama” picture, one that portrays him as a friggin’ monkey no less, is in any way pertinent to this story (is that supposed to be another one of those “all the Obama supporters are the real racists” jab? or what?). Add that picture with what Jane Roh writes, and I’m almost at a loss for words.
That is either a most unfortunate choice of words or a brutally honest confession. Thanks to underdevelopment and that pesky brain drain Philly seems stuck in the 80s, segregation-wise. And all of our local ethnic groups are really awesome at living up to their worst stereotypes. Still, Valley Swim Club: the No Coloreds in the Pool thing, really?? Brave.
What the hell does that even mean? All I can get out of it is “yeah, those white folks might’ve acted wrongly this time, but you gotta admit those Negroes and Latin@s ethnic groups sure do like to act up and cause trouble. Next time, don’t be so blatant about it, k?” That this came from a woman of color makes it all the more disturbing. I wanted to think that she had no choice about that “nobama” pic, but after reading what she wrote, I’m not so sure.
Are you as pissed off about all of this as I am? Well you know there are actions to be taken. So, lets do this.
Contact the club (via Marcy Web at Feministe):
The Valley Club Contact Directory
Physical Address:
22 Tomlinson Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
The Valley Club
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 134, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006
Club Phone Number:
215-947-0700
Club E-mail:
info@thevalleyclub.com
Join the Color of Change action to publicly condemn the Valley Club and call on the Justice Department to investigate whether it violated civil rights laws (via Jack and Jill Politics–and the emails y’all should all be getting).
Two weeks ago outside Philadelphia, sixty-five children from a summer camp tried to go swimming at a club their camp had a contract to use. Evidently, the club didn’t know the kids were largely Black.
When the campers entered the pool, White parents 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 they would refund their money. When asked why, the club’s leader said the kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.”
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. 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://colorofchange.org/swim/
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 this kind of discrimination.
Please join us in condemning the Valley Swim Club’s blatant discrimination 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/
Thanks and Peace,
– James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 9th, 2009
Thank you for the mention. However, I have a blog @ Miss Incognegro, and not Feministe. I do, however, post there occasionally.
Hi! Glad you stopped by.
I linked to your blog at Miss Incognegro as well too (hover over your name). I make it a point to always link to folks blogs, even when I find their comments via other blogs.
Hu, Kevin. Thank you for the link love.
BTW: There is a petition circulating. Here is the link:
http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1604-649824
Peace.
“There were the “well, this incident was obviously racist, but people wouldn’t have to be so obviously racist if folks like Jesse Jackson and Al sharpton would just shut up (and all those damn coloreds would just stop talking about Michael Jackson)” responses.”
My post told Jackson and Sharpton to stop chasing B.S. racism like the Duke Lacrosse case and focus on real racism like the Valley Swim Club. You chose to deliberately misrepresent my post. Implying that I think of anyone as “coloreds” is just wishful thinking on your part. You want to be able to whine and bitch and moan about posts like mine. If mine was the best example of some “ignorant” white guy telling coloreds to shut up, your case is flimsy. I never said anyone had the right to be racist because Sharpton and Jackson won’t shut up and I never told coloreds to shut up about Michael Jackson. Everyone can shout at the top of their lungs racist nonsense. A racist, private swim club can legally turn away black kids, just like any racist, private black organization can turn away white people. In a free country, you are free to be a racist, but don’t pretend one is different from the other. Any organization that turns away people based solely on their skin color is disgustingly racist, and I have no use for them.
If I had a “Proud White Voter” image on my site, you’d call me a racist, and rightly so. You bear the same image proudly.
“Free the Jena Six”…?!?! Some unknown person hangs a rope from a tree, and 6 kids get to beat the shit out of another kid? If someone hangs a white doll from a tree and writes black power on its shirt, do 6 white kids get to beat up the first black kid they encounter? Are they entitled? Whoever put that up on your site is an idiot. I’m fairly sure all this fell on deaf ears… bye.
I’ll never understand why whenever people with opposing views leaves a comment on a blog, they have to say the obligatory “this will surely fall on deaf ears” or “I’m sure you’ll delete/ban/ignore me,” but whatevs.
That said, I followed your link in my post. In all honesty, I meant to link to a different post. I must’ve hit the wrong tab and in my haste linked to you. (Damn, that’s two for two. I gotta stop drinking and blogging). Sloppy on my part. So I apologize. I did have some issues with your post, to be sure, but the one I meant to link too did actually try to tie Sharpton and both Jacksons into this whole thing. Now I gotta find it again. I will correct the post to reflect that.
Now, on to other things: First, I have no problem whatsoever with anyone showing ethnic pride. Proud to be Irish? Great! Proud to be Italian, or German, or Polish? Great! Hell, we can sit down and you can tell me all about your people’s history and culture and I’ll gladly listen. Y’see, there’s a reason that black is a catch-all phrase for people of African descent in the U.S. Because of slavery, most of us don’t know what countries we come from. Many of us don’t get the luxury of being proud of a distinct historical and cultural background outside of African, and since Africa is a rather large continent with a lot of very different countries, the term African is just as specific as as European (i.e. really not that much). That’s at least how I see it. So yeah, I might wonder why you chose white, rather than a distinct ethnicity or nationality like most other white folks chose to be proud of (I’m not talking about the hardcore “white supremacist” types here), but frankly, I think you should be proud of yourself and your heritage. That’s where the whole “proud and black” thing comes from. We’ve been constantly told, for friggin’ centuries, that we should not be proud of ourselves because of the way we look. So really, what’s so wrong with striking back and saying, “No. I AM proud of myself and my heritage”?
As for the Jena Six. I’ve yet to see anyone claim that those boys didn’t deserve to be punished. The problem, however, is that the proposed punishment did not, in any way, fit the crime. That’s what “Free the Jena Six” is all about. THIS is racism 101. Because those black boys weren’t perfect, whatever gets thrown their way is perfectly OK. This does not happen with white folks. Do you honestly think that if the scenario you describe happened that those 6 white kids would find themselves facing the majority of their lives in prison? No way in hell. If you think 6 white kids would have been treated the same way as those black kids, you’re just not paying attention.
Sometimes I wish that there was a social-justice-oriented virtual caucus for white folks. Dan says so many things in his comment that need unpacking and processing. Knowledge of power differentials, historical context, and institutionalized systems of oppressions are necessary to understand why it’s totally cool for Kevin to have a “Proud Black Voter” banner. Being proud and white is extremely different. What does it mean to be proud and white? What exactly is good about whiteness as an institution? Most white folks are completely disconnected from their ethnic European heritage even though we often say that we are German, Irish, English, etc. In the U.S. it’s the lack of awareness among white folks of what whiteness is that maintains a system of power and privilege. Racism is power with prejudice. White racism is not the same as discrimination or prejudice from folks in marginalized groups.
By the way, what if Kevin was deaf? Your comment would have been read by someone with a hearing impairment. Why use deafness as way to negatively describe the fact that someone might ignore your comment? I know that it’s just a saying, but who gets to say what is and/or is not an acceptable saying? Usually it comes back to that whole power differential thing…more ableist folks who can hear getting to use deafness in a negative-ridden phrase.
PS: “Colored” isn’t really a term that people of color use or identify with…it’s more of derogatory word that white people used to use quite often. Sort of a “we have the power, therefore we get to label you” type thing…
PPS: I think it might be a good idea for you to read my post on real racism. It speaks to the fact that all too often, white folks like to decide what is and/or is not real racism. It’s like a sword asking it’s victim if it’s sharp enough….
Kevin, you seem to be an eloquent guy despite some incorrect preconceptions. Eric, you’re an idiot, but I will address both of you as intellectually as I can handle.
“Y’see, there’s a reason that black is a catch-all phrase for people of African descent in the U.S. Because of slavery, most of us don’t know what countries we come from. Many of us don’t get the luxury of being proud of a distinct historical and cultural background outside of African”
I’m well aware why African Americans don’t claim a specific country, instead using the continent of Africa. It’s a different discussion altogether, but I don’t like anyone hyphenating “American” regardless of their skin pigment. I’m an American, not a European-American, or an Irish-American. Just American. Knowing where I come from is not a “luxury.” Its irrelevant.
“So yeah, I might wonder why you chose white, rather than a distinct ethnicity or nationality like most other white folks chose to be proud of.”
Yeah, and I wonder why you chose black, rather than a distinct ethnicity like… African? You can’t have it both ways. You’re not proud of being African. You’re proud because you’re black. The banners on the right side of your page are dominated by a color, not an ethnicity. “Black and Missing” and “Proud Black Voter” and “Women of color” and “Blogging while brown” are the phrases on your site. You may ALSO be proud of Africa, but don’t pretend like I’m the one who brought up color over country. Its insulting to my intelligence.
“We’ve been constantly told, for friggin’ centuries, that we should not be proud of ourselves because of the way we look.”
I am so sick of hearing about the past. Every racist comment or bad behavior by a non-white is blamed on white people. I don’t give a crap what someone told your great-great-great grandfather. “Civil” rights activists whine and moan constantly about being persecuted for centuries and being victims of racism. Its like they think white people walk through life without a care in the world, without some history they can complain about. Professor Gates said “whitey” in his application to Yale, not “people of European descent who mistreated others.” You wanna hear about my Irish ancestors? How many decades do I get to complain about the way my people were treated? I’m also part Cherokee. Where’s my affirmative action?
“This does not happen with white folks. Do you honestly think that if the scenario you describe happened that those 6 white kids would find themselves facing the majority of their lives in prison? No way in hell. If you think 6 white kids would have been treated the same way as those black kids, you’re just not paying attention.”
Let me get this straight… you’re saying that if 6 white kids beat up a black kid for being black in 2009, they wouldn’t be severely punished? You have to be joking. Hate crime legislation tacks 8 extra years onto the maximum 7 year sentence of battery. I’m obviously not “paying attention” to the same people you pay attention to. You want me to run the numbers on how many hate crimes black people are charged with compared to white people? You’re paying attention to the wrong demagogues.
And now onto Mr. Stoller’s comments…
“Being proud and white is extremely different.”
NO IT ISN’T. Do you hear yourself? Pride derived from skin color is childish. Pride from ethnicity is fine, but not from skin color. Barack is treated like he’s “down with the struggle” despite being raised by rich white people, living in Hawaii and going to Ivy league schools. You have got to be kidding me.
“What exactly is good about whiteness as an institution?”
Whiteness isn’t an institution; its a skin pigment. Are you implying that blackness as an “institution” is better than whiteness? How about America as an institution? I know everyone things we invented slavery and racism, but we didn’t. Believe it or not, it was the big thing back then. We’re just noble enough to beat ourselves up about it, while other countries moved on.
“it’s the lack of awareness among white folks of what whiteness is that maintains a system of power and privilege. Racism is power with prejudice. White racism is not the same as discrimination or prejudice from folks in marginalized groups.”
You are spouting nonsense. Racism does not require power. I have heard this crap spouted by others as, I’m guessing, an excuse for non-white people to be unashamedly, publicly racist. Claiming that white racism is somehow worse than black racism is hypocritical nonsense. I didn’t make anyone sit in the back of the bus or get into a college based on my white privilege. In fact, thanks to affirmative action, I probably had more trouble getting into college than I should have. A “lack of awareness about whiteness” is THE GOAL. You are spouting Jeremiah-Wright-esque propaganda that solves absolutely nothing. It merely gives non-whites an excuse.
“By the way, what if Kevin was deaf?”
Deaf ears can’t hear things. The metaphor is neither offensive nor inaccurate. Do you think you’re noble for some half-assed attempt to defend deaf people right after explaining why white people deserve none? Do you think deaf people require your help?
“Who gets to say what is and/or is not an acceptable saying?”
No one thanks to the first amendment. And you’re an idiot for bringing it up in this discussion. Save your meaningless pontification for someone who doesn’t see right through you.
““Colored” isn’t really a term that people of color use or identify with”
Tell Kevin that. I was quoting him every time I used it. I used quotation marks the first time. My apologies for not using subsequent times. I don’t give a shit about skin pigmentation.
“White folks like to decide what is and/or is not real racism.”
Racism has a simple definition. People of all races like to define it in a way that fits their ideological template. Making a judgment about someone based on the color of their skin is racist. Even if you’re not white. I haven’t decided anything. The definition of racism was decided long ago, but people keep trying to modify it to their liking.
Your own comments are racist. You refer to white people as the metaphorical “sword asking it’s victim if it’s sharp enough.” So your argument is because I have paler skin than Kevin, that makes me the “sword?” Are you insane, or just so brainwashed that you don’t see the nonsense in your assertions? Your metaphor is based on the assumption that white people are victimizing non-white people. That is blatantly racist. I have victimized no one, and some sort of cockamamie, pseudo-intellectual explanation of institutional racism doesn’t change that.
You two are full of pre-conceptions that appear to make you incapable of seeing your own racism while debating me. I have no prejudice towards anyone because their skin is darker than me, and neither do millions of other “white folk” that have grown up in a country where it is near impossible to become a racist if you own a television. The racial divide is almost non-existent, but is maintained solely by the very people who claim to oppose it. There are no white groups running around stoking racism. Only the NAACP and La Raza and other such groups. White people have for the most part moved on, while a select number of non-white people continue to fan the fire under the guise of being entitled due to past transgressions. I will not sit quietly while someone lectures me about racism I did not contribute to nor participate in. “Historical context” as Stoller put it does not give a black person the right to discriminate against me. And claiming it has anything to do with ancestry is nonsense. You are flat-out lying. Barack Obama is half descended from white slave owners, and half-Kenyan; NOT AFRICAN-AMERICAN. While Kevin does not have the “luxury” of knowing which African country his ancestors come from, Barack does, so when African-Americans act as though he is part of the club, they illustrate the real adjective in this whole debate: Black. Don’t talk to me about African pride or Irish pride or any other country. Its dark-skin entitlement… plain and simple. Some white American treated some non-white American badly once upon a time, and so I have to apologize to non-white people who get to complain about something I had nothing to do with.
ON TOP OF ALL THAT, the NAACP and BET have awards shows where white people aren’t eligible for most, if not all, the awards. This childish, racist nonsense is so condescending to black people, I can’t even describe it. Denzel and Cuba and Halle and Morgan and others did not need a special awards show that excluded whites to reach the heights of their industry. They did not need the Academy to exclude white people to win their Oscars. On their own. With no asterisk. Every day those racist awards exist is another day you tell a certain percentage of black people that they need their own show in order to celebrate success. I find it insulting.
Good day to both of you,
Dan