Some people have, apparently, chosen to sit out our so-called “post-racial” era: 65 African American summer campers who paid over $1,900 for one day of swimming a week at The Valley Swim Club in northeast Philadelphia were turned away and had their money refunded. The swim-club president John Duesler explained the decision by saying, "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club." The staff of a private Philadelphia boarding school has stepped in and offered the students access to its pool, but the original incident has caused such controversy that Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter plans to launch an investigation into the discrimination claim.
