Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Creative Steps Campers Share Their Thoughts on Valley Swim Club
Share:
by Karen Hatter | July 11, 2009 at 01:34 pm
631 views | 30 Recommendations | 10 comments
Videos
As some of the campers from Creative Steps Day Camp engaged in activities meant to fill their days with fun, their recent experience at the Valley Swim Club was not far from their minds.
On June 29, 2009, after the Creative Steps Day Camp had paid membership fees of $1,950.00 for its campers' participation at the club, upon arrival, the children recounted stories of hearing racial comments at the pool. The members of the day camp are Latino and African American children and number about 65.
Two days after their visit to the pool, the day camp's membership was suspended, the fees returned and at that time, no reason was given.
John Duesler, speaking on behalf of the Valley Swim Club, has offered an apology and has stated all that has transpired regarding the club is the result of a misunderstanding and a poorly worded statement offered by Mr. Duesler, where he cited concerns for a change in the "complexion" and "atmosphere" at the club in relation to the participation of the campers at the facility.
He has stated the reason for the suspension of the day camp's membership was borne out of concerns for overcrowding.
The incident is being investigated by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
A mother of children who are members of the Creative Steps Day Camp has filed suit against the Valley Swim Club.
To read the thoughts of the Creative Steps Day Camp children, please click here.
Also at NowPublic :
Day Camp Director Overwhelmed by Offers of Support for Her Kids
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Crowd Power
Karen Hatter
All Locations, Everywhere, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
at 18:37 on July 11th, 2009
CNN has been running this story and updates up until today interspersing with ironically, updates about President Obama's visit in Ghana.
The concern should be about the 65 young people's feelings and well being at the end of the day, regardless of what the involved adults allegedly have or have not said and meant and done.
Overall, the incident remains troubling and disturbing.
at 22:58 on July 11th, 2009
Thank you for your thoughts, Pythiian1, and I agree, the well being of the children should be paramount in all of this.
The Valley (Swim) Club cannot divorce itself from the state of Pennsylvania's history or its founding at a time of great social change in America, in 1954.
Pool segregation was never mandated in the state of Pennsylvania but, there were pools where minorities knew not to go, much like the 'sundown' neighborhood communities throughout the state and in Philadelphia, where minorities dare not be caught passing through after dark.
As cities across the United States mobilized to squash the exclusionary practice of barring non Whites from city pools, suburban pools sprang up as an exodus occurred to avoid the changes occurring in the 'inner' city.
If, as the president of the Valley Swim Club John Duesler says, the issue of race is not a problem for the club, it would seem it is a problem for some of the club's members.
at 18:41 on July 11th, 2009
The apology comes too late frankly and I'm glad the matter is being investigated as these things need to be brought to light; it is all about the kids at the end of the day.
at 18:44 on July 11th, 2009
It is too little, too late
at 17:23 on July 12th, 2009
I don't buy anything that the club has to say in its defense. The club screwed up, big time, and they deserve all the heat that comes down upon them.
at 07:02 on July 13th, 2009
I think the heat that the club has brought upon themselves is well deserved. I would not allow my child to return even if they are invited back. I don't believe in congregating in places were I am not welcome, or with people that do not want me around them.
at 19:34 on July 13th, 2009
There are three sides to every story. I'm wondering if there are any other details regarding behavior of the kids that may have precipitated this action. For some reason, racial descrimination always seems to be the first assumption. I'm doubtful on these reports because the issue of racial descrimination is always one sided....white on black and not the other way even though it exists.
at 09:26 on July 16th, 2009
Ditto...
With the exception of the New Haven, Connecticut firemen.
at 12:51 on July 14th, 2009
Steve Richmond, please don't continue to buy into the stereotype played over and over in the4 media and which has crippled and poisoned our society. Black people are not just a bunch of ignorant, loud and crimminal minded people. Our children DO KNOW how to behave themselves and it should not be assumed that because they are Black children that they did not act accordingly or as you say," another side to the story." I am quite frankly SOOOOO very tired of people like yourself who always make excuses for hate, ignorance and bigotry. Plain and simple, they were denied access because of the color of their skin and there were SEVERAL kids who heard these aweful comments. End of discussion. Children are not taught to discrimminate because of color. We as adults teach them that. Even in the statement from that racist club, the director never stated that the kids did anything disorderly or foul. So, YES, this is the PROPER context to discuss race.
at 13:43 on July 15th, 2009
Paul “Earthquake” Moore, Slain Police Officer Charles Knox Philadelphia’s award-winning Mural Arts Program has been responsible for beautifying walls and closing racial gaps in many of Philadelphia’s most blighted neighborhoods. This is also true of the new mural that immortalizes community activist Paul “Earthquake” Moore and slain Philadelphia Police Officer Charles Knox, “This means so much to me to have my image on the wall of a playground that I couldn’t even come to as a black as a kid growing up several blocks from here in Paschall,” said Moore smiling. “I mean we couldn’t even walk up here. Going to Bartram which is near here back in the 70s, we had to take a special route through the white neighborhoods just to get to school. This is truly an accomplishment for me as a black man to be honored in this way Police Officer Knox, a 31-years-old, three-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, was shot twice and killed by robbers on August 30, 1992 after responding to a call at a Roy Rogers restaurant on Broad Street in South Philadelphia. Moore, an activist in the Southwest community, who has initiated countless programs to uplift and feed needy citizens throughout Philadelphia but especially in the section of the city where he was born and raised. For information on the event, call email earth_quake1@hotmail.com