Racism keeps kids from swimming at pool in Philly

Last week, over 60 black and Latino day campers were turned away from a swim club in Philadelphia because of complaints by white adult members of the club that, according to the club’s president John Duesler, “[A] lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club.”
Community blogger zp27 beat us to the punch on this story, an absolute nightmare and truly telling to the stark reality of the racism and bigotry that exists in this country. The club is of course backtracking and saying that the issue wasn’t race, despite some of the kids overhearing racist complaints by the members of the club right before they were asked to leave and the club returned the $1,950 check Creative Steps Day Care had given them to use the pool.
The good news out of this is that the day care center has gotten tons of support from surrounding clubs and schools since, some who have offered their pools for the campers to use. But this doesn’t change the fact that these kids, as young as five years old, have already been told that they aren’t allowed to swim in a pool because of their race. It’s just unreal.
Shark Fu has a great piece up at Angry Black Bitch about this, as does Melissa Harris-Lacewell at the Nation. Go read them now.
A local video on the story after the jump.

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