Whites only pool

Two weeks ago outside Philadelphia, 65 children from a summer camp tried to go swimming at a club that their camp had a contract to use. Apparently, the people at the club didn't know that the group of kids was predominantly Black. When the campers entered the pool, White parents allegedly took their kids out of the water, and the swimming club's staff asked the campers to leave. The next day, the club told the summer camp that their membership would be canceled and that their payment would be refunded. When asked why, the club's manager said that a lot of kids "would change the complexion ... and the atmosphere of the club."1 A "Whites only" pool in 2009 should not be tolerated. The club's actions appear to be a violation of section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act.2 Whether or not any laws were violated, a "Whites only" pool should be something every American condemns. Please join us in doing exactly that, and please email your friends and family and invite them to do the same. Your signature will also be used to call on the Department of Justice to evaluate suing the facility under federal law. It takes just a moment to do both, here: http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1629-827102Obama is President but that doesn't mean that suddenly all is fine when it comes to race in America. This is a vivid reminder of what we know still lies beneath the surface. We all know stories like this one -- similar incidents play out quietly every day in different communities across the country. The difference in this case is that folks got caught and there was a contract in place that makes for a potentially illegal act. Standing up now isn't just about making things right for these kids in Philadelphia or bringing consequences to this swim club (called the Valley Swim Club). It's about creating a climate of accountability everywhere. If we can publicly shame the Valley Swim Club and hold them accountable for this incident, it will make others think twice before engaging in what appears to be blatant discrimination. Please join us in condemning the Valley Swim Club's behavior and calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether they violated civil rights laws. And please ask your friends and family to do the same. http://www.colorofchange.org/swim/?id=1629-827102
Thanks and Peace, --
James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

Katrina

How do you define racism??? If asked that question I would ask myself if white supremacy is still institutionalized? Do black people continue to suffer as a result of white supremacy? And do white people continue to exploit and control black people – mentally and physically? The answers to all of these questions are yes, therefore, I would ultimately define racism through the continuous growth and efforts of white supremacy. Aside from simple acts that some white people do to prove their supremacy- such as calling us nigger and hanging nooses everywhere- the overall condition of black people are shaped and controlled by white people. New Orleans is a perfect example of this. I, along with every other person I have discussed the flood with in New Orleans, believe that our government blew up the levees to preserve the white neighborhoods and to also move the black property owners out so that they would be able to extract oil from the lower 9th. Some may staunchly believe that the government would not do that and that we have moved on from the racism from the past but I would argue that the faults of the past have manifested into the 21st century. Just like a mire amendment did not truly free the slaves, mire laws that are suppose to grant us equality are all illusions. I whole-heartedly believe that the same way that they sold us on the auction block, hung us, burned us, buried us alive, cut off our limbs, raped our women, castrated our men, left our babies empty bellied, broke up our families, deprived us of adequate education and living conditions, deprived us of our history, murdered our leaders, implemented Jim Crow and COINTELPRO, burned down black wall street in Tulsa, have also in fact flooded New Orleans. Blacks are still not considered human beings in Amerikkka! The “founding fathers” documented that we were 3/5 a citizen and the state of New Orleans is a perfect example of this belief. What is most upsetting is when you step back and look past the abandoned homes, overcrowded schools, and oppressive living conditions; you can see the look of hopelessness in the people’s eyes. Every man, woman, and child outside of the French quarters have this look in their face. Three years later and many haven’t even received a simple apology. But maybe the truth is that Amerikkka really isn’t sorry. Every now and then they offer some silly apology for slavery but we continue to suffer. Bush and his crime partners, the dirty cops, crocket politicians, ex cetera- they don’t give a damn. Badu said we were baptized when the levees broke- we were. Only problem is, is that many are still in the water. Some of us are floating around while others are still fully submerged. Mentally, we haven’t regain the sense of consciousness and rebirth that we need in our communities in order to confront this issue of racism. We are drowning in this submission of the acceptance of racism but we really need to look at this for what it is. Racism. My hope is that we can get ourselves together to dissolve the continuous efforts of the controlling forces around us before it’s too late.

Revolution

The world is spinning out of control, gotta hold on tight
Cuz the ones who have control are holding on to it wit all their might
Their motives are corrupt
They're planning the ultimate set up
Wicked leading the blind, deaf and dumb so we all can run amuck
Strategies are being built to extract us from our core
Ejected with lies and then makeshift cures
We take it and we take it til we cant no more
Counterfeit love for an endless war
Gotta get it together and force it to collapse
Rid our minds of the deceit and start to get to know the facts
Because we’re pimped by the system
And the pure have become w*ores
Patriotic love during a never ending war
We take it and we take it til we just can’t take it anymore
Carefully constructed
Intricately designed
Furnished with ideas to take over your mind
No knowledge of self and no love for your brother
Even Nino Brown killed the other son of his mother
Got us thinking its a lost cause
Or we’ve reached the point of no return
Economy distraught cant even keep the money we earn
Painted for mass destruction
Drawn to fabricated truth
Religious leaders maybe apart of the conspiracy
Leaving saints and sinners equally confused
Spiritually lead by some who are spiritually dead
We continue to take it and call it spiritually feed
The government is the G- Unit
And we try to create an American dream
Turn ourselves into entertainers cuz we really aint free
Eyes on us while no ones watchin them
As we continue to be controlled by the man behind the curtain
People are hurtin
And the world is spinnin out of control
Hold on tight unless you ready to be bold