I think Tyler Perry is da bomb. He has an amazing talent for making you laugh over shortcomings and not so funny stereotyping, not so much of anyone but American blacks by AA's, but I have yet to see one of his flicks and not walk away without "getting" at least one message and a whole lotta feel good. Good job Tyler. 
The Valley Club is offering three day camps, whose contracts to swim at the private swim organization were abruptly cancelled, the chance to come back.
Members of the club's board voted unanimously at a quickly scheduled meeting Sunday afternoon to reinstate contracts allowing children from Creative Steps and two additional camps to once again cool off at the Huntington Valley, Pa. swim club. The club says it will still need to solve issues like safety, but is glad to welcome the children back.
The reversal comes after a week of intense pressure and national debate as to whether the group of 60 mostly minority kids from the Creative Steps day camp were asked to leave the club because of their race.
Creative Steps paid $1,950 to have campers swim at the 10-acre complex on Mondays through August, but after members complained on the first day, the camp's privileges were revoked and money returned.
Several students said they heard members making racial remarks while they were at The Valley Club. "I heard one lady saying 'Why's there so many black kids here' cause she said she was afraid that we might do something to her child," recalled camper Dymire Baylor. "How could they say that?"
Further fanning the flames, the club's president Dr. John Duesler issued a statement last Tuesday saying "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion and the atmosphere of the club."
Duesler apologized Friday, admitting to a poor choice of words. "We deeply regret this whole situation," Duesler said. "We never meant to offend anyone." He and other members of the club maintain that safety and not race was the issue.
We saw a number on paper had no idea what that would look like. It was an error in our judgment, we underestimated what we could handle, said Duesler.
The swim club also cancelled agreements with two other camps in the days following the termination of Creative Steps' contract. Duesler declined to reveal the names of the other camps involved.
Club members defended the move to cancel the memberships saying the private swim club was no longer private with campers running around. "I was the first person to talk to the president, because the pool was overcrowded," said member Jim Flynn Thursday.
But it was Duesler's three-day silence that seemed to incite growing support for the racism claim -- gaining more attention on-air, online and on paper each day. Protesters paraded by the entrance to the private club as cable networks, blogs and even readers in our own comments sections debated over the legitimacy of the racist accusations.
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, the Anti-Defamation League and even the U.S. Swim Team weighed in on the issue. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission opened an investigation and will be making a fact-finding visit on July 30.
A class action lawsuit was filed in federal court on behalf of a woman and her four children late Friday. The suit claims the children and several others "were denied swimming privileges due to the color of their skin."
"On a human level, they felt discriminated," attorney David S. Mildenberg said on behalf of the family.
Mildenberg and his brother Brian commended the club's actions and said they would recommend the suit be dropped of the camp and director Alethaea Wright are satisfied with the decision. "We're gonna wait, we're gonna see what happens," said attorney Brian Mildenberg Sunday. "We're gonna request and recommend that the case be put on hold temporarily and if everything gets worked out, that's it."
All eyes now turn to Creative Steps to see how they react to the reinstatement of the contract. The camp was in talks to continue swimming at Girard College, a private boarding school, after the institution offered their pool. Wright was not available for comment on the club's decision, but one parent called the move "insulting." "Don't insult the kids, don't insult the parents, dont insult the other minorities out there," said parent George Saddler. He said the decision is great for other camps, but not his stepdaughter.
Regardless of whether the camp chooses to accept the offer or not, the scars are still fresh in the minds of the children effected. When asked if she was comfortable with attending the pool again, camper Araceli Bagwell, said "no, because they already kicked us out."
"These are kids," said parent Silvia Carvalho. "Its not like they came to me or you saying something. They came to 65 kids."
Pennsylvania Swim Club Welcomes Back Campers | NBC Philadelphia
