NATIONAL BRIEFING / PENNSYLVANIA
A suburban Philadelphia swim club accused of kicking out a group of minority children visiting from the city denies any racial discrimination.
In a statement posted on its website, the Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley says accusations of racism toward the Creative Steps day camp are untrue. The club was overcrowded, and it returned funds to more than one camp, it said.
Creative Steps director Alethea Wright said that during a trip there June 29, some of the children said they heard people asking what black kids were doing at the club.
NBC’s Philadelphia TV affiliate reported that the club’s president, John Duesler, said in a statement Tuesday: “There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion . . . and the atmosphere of the club.”
The club’s unsigned online statement says that the club’s membership is diverse and that any comments that may or may not have been made by members are not shared by its board.
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