Yesterday, members of the Huntingdon Valley Club, in suburban Philly suddenly decided to change their minds about whether 65 mostly black and Hispanic campers can swim at their club. They are going to set up a meeting in hopes of inviting them back. Could it be the bad press that brought about this change? This of course, comes in the aftermath of the camper’s uncomfortable and some say, racially charged visit to the club on June 29th. Members alleged pulled their own children from the pool at the sight of all of those minorities, while some campers also heard racial slurs.  Oh yeah, and they were asked (okay alleged asked) not to return to the gated country club even though the camp had paid nearly two grand for the privilege of these kids swimming there on Mondays for the summer.  The club claims it canceled its contract with the camp, Creative Steps Day Care Center, because of safety, crowding and noise concerns. I guess black and Hispanic kids having fun is a problem. No matter how they try to explain it , it still smacks of 1950s pool policies to me.

But why did the country club change its tune after two week? It is long past the damage control window (if there is such a thing). Well a little thing like an investigation will certainly make you see things differently. And the actions by this  posh country club are now under the critical microscope of  the Human Rights Commission and the US Department of Justice.

Here’s the thing, even if the club is genuine in its attempts to make nice, this day care center (and the three others who had their contracts canceled too)  and many parents are not so sure they’d let the children return. Here’s what one parent told the Associated Press:

Silvia Carvalho said she hadn’t heard about the club’s action but didn’t believe her 9-year-old daughter, Araceli, would be willing to return. ”She has already said so,” Carvalho said Sunday night. “She doesn’t want people to look at her the same way.”

When will folks learn that the scars of racism run deep.