Is it 2009 or 1959????

About a week or so ago, sixty five day-campers from Northeast Philadelphia went to the Valley Swim Club for their weekly time at the pool. Camp organizers paid the club $1900 to allow the students to swim once a week for the duration of the summer however, upon their arrival (and before most of the children could even get into the pool) parents of the club swimmers were shooing their kids away from the pool. Can you guess the ethnicity of the the campers? (Hispanic and Black). Club goers?? (White).

Herein lies the issue, this is 2009 and minority children can't swim in the same pool with majority kids? Our President is black, the swimming pool is blue.... I won't get started. I'll leave the rhyming to Jeezy. But in all seriousness, what do you think will happen to your kids by letting them swimming together? Both sets pee in the pool so I mean it is what it is. (which is why I do not mess with public bodies of water-I'm a germophobe).

One little camper said that a white parent said, "Why are all these black kids here. They'll do something to my child! They have to go!" Seriously? Additionally, the President of the Swim Club has offered a refund of the money the camp paid but suspended their membership indefinitely causing the kiddies not to be able to swim anymore. This is just not right. If we continue to push prejudices on our children, inequality will be a mainstay in our society. In the words of my favorite film director Spike Lee "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKE UPPPPPPPPPPPPPP" People, we have to do better.

The one positive to come from this was that Tyler Perry has paid for all 65 children to go to Disney World in Florida and will pay for airfare, food, hotel, and other miscellaneous items. Finally something I can applaud him for (as I don't mess with Madea).

In closing, we must remember that someone is always watching our actions. They're listening to the way we talk, how we treat each other, and what we are doing to better the lives of those around us. We will always have to deal with race, but we don't always have to deal with racism.