It’s taken a week in a media firestorm, but it looks as if the members of The Valley Club are going to do the right thing.
The Valley Club is the swim facility in nearby Huntingdon Valley that first invited several groups of mostly minority kids to use their pool, then rescinded the invitation when it became clear that members had some …. ahem … concerns.
Just what those concerns were obviously depends on whom you talk to – and when you talked to them.
The president of the club, John Duesler, could not possibly have picked a worse word in his first comments about pulling back the invitation to the kids, most of whom were black or Hispanic.
Duesler indicated that some club members had objected, saying that the kids changed the “complexion” of the club.
Ouch!
Open mouth. Insert foot.
Or, if you wish, light match, touch fuse. Kaboom.
Duesler and the club soon found themselves at the center of a racial tsunami.
They then indicated that the move to rescind the invitation was not done out of racism, but rather safety. They said the club simply was not prepared to handle the number of kids (65) who were part of the program.
Well, at least it’s a better explanation than his first offering. Then again, it couldn’t have gotten much worse.
Here’s what I think happened. Duesler never consulted with his board or members when he offered the invitation. Some members likely were taken aback when the kids showed up, and told Duesler so.
Some of the kids indicated they overheard some members making racial comments when they arrived.
Now, all seems forgiven. The club Sunday night moved to re-invite the kids to use their facilities. Whether or not the camp takes them up on their offer remains to be seen. It would be nice if they did. But I’m not betting on it.
That’s because while we have elected a black man president of the United States, race still defines way too much of us as a society. Are we a melting pot? Sure. But that does not mean tired, old racial beliefs and stereotypes have gone away.
If nothing else, the week that was at The Valley Club only points out how far we still have to go.
The Valley Club is the swim facility in nearby Huntingdon Valley that first invited several groups of mostly minority kids to use their pool, then rescinded the invitation when it became clear that members had some …. ahem … concerns.
Just what those concerns were obviously depends on whom you talk to – and when you talked to them.
The president of the club, John Duesler, could not possibly have picked a worse word in his first comments about pulling back the invitation to the kids, most of whom were black or Hispanic.
Duesler indicated that some club members had objected, saying that the kids changed the “complexion” of the club.
Ouch!
Open mouth. Insert foot.
Or, if you wish, light match, touch fuse. Kaboom.
Duesler and the club soon found themselves at the center of a racial tsunami.
They then indicated that the move to rescind the invitation was not done out of racism, but rather safety. They said the club simply was not prepared to handle the number of kids (65) who were part of the program.
Well, at least it’s a better explanation than his first offering. Then again, it couldn’t have gotten much worse.
Here’s what I think happened. Duesler never consulted with his board or members when he offered the invitation. Some members likely were taken aback when the kids showed up, and told Duesler so.
Some of the kids indicated they overheard some members making racial comments when they arrived.
Now, all seems forgiven. The club Sunday night moved to re-invite the kids to use their facilities. Whether or not the camp takes them up on their offer remains to be seen. It would be nice if they did. But I’m not betting on it.
That’s because while we have elected a black man president of the United States, race still defines way too much of us as a society. Are we a melting pot? Sure. But that does not mean tired, old racial beliefs and stereotypes have gone away.
If nothing else, the week that was at The Valley Club only points out how far we still have to go.
Comments