Did Philly Swim Club Turn Away Black Children?

[swag]

Run time: 01:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KJMZ3v6kNs   Posted on YouTube: July 09, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: July 09, 2009 By DU Member: swag Views on DU: 1229

 

[tomm2thumbs]

1. worth watching this video

[kestrel91316]

2. I am glad to hear that the kids' parents are considering legal action.

The kids seem quite sincere in their statements about what happened.

Oh, and the swim club's website photos have only white kids, so they may be subtlely trying to market their "whites-only policy" visually.

[rocktivity]

3. Fortunately, a local college has picked up the slack

...(T)he swim club president John Duesler issued this statement: "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club."

So the staff at Girard College, a private Philadelphia boarding school for children who live in low-income and single parent homes, stepped in and offered their pool.

...The school already serves 500 campers of its own, but felt they could squeeze in 65 more – especially since the pool is vacant on the day the Creative Steps had originally planned to swim at Valley Swim Club.

More

[BumRushDaShow]

8. That "local college"

was one that was http://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=6177">protested against for 7 months back in the mid-'60s due to their own policy (per the will of the banker, Stephen Girard, who at the time was the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Girard">wealthiest man in America, who founded and funded it) of only allowing "white" (male) poor/orphan children to attend.

The circle is now complete once they stepped up to the plate with their offer... :)

[proud patriot]

4. The President should take his family for a swim there

:grr:

[tomm2thumbs]

5. a brazilliant idea!!!

[winyanstaz]

6. I agree, Obama's family should go swimming there...

And in the meantime, the racist assholes that did this to these kids need to be fired!

[PretzelWarrior]

7. that sounds more like a move from Jesse Jackson. no thanks.

Obama has much more important things to do than get tied to a local race issue in Pennsylvania.

[drm604]

9. It looks like AP may be sanitizing the club President's statement.

What I heard on a local Philly news station wasn't simply that the complaint was that the children would change the atmosphere of the club. What was reported was that the complaint was that the children would change the atmosphere and complexion of the club.

I wonder why the difference between the local reporting and the AP reporting?