“The Work” Must Continue

The events of the past several days involving the blatantly racist treatment of the campers by the staff and membership of The Valley Club have prompted some thoughts on my part.

I think a lot of us, Black and White in particular, really don’t want to believe that “the work” must continue. We want to believe that Dr. King, and all of the Civil Rights activists back in the day, did it all. We simply want to kick back, and reap the proverbial fruits of their marching, protesting, bleeding, and yes, even dying.

To a certain degree, I think a lot of us are resentful of the fact that we have to keep “the work” going. But, if we are not vigilant, and vocal, and active, there is nothing preventing the life so many of us have come to know from regressing back to the way things once were.

So, we – Black and White – are in denial. We want to water down racism, even when it is blatantly obvious – as in the case of The Valley Club – and reduce it to a class issue, as some have done in the blog and Facebook comments I have been reading. Somehow, dealing with class inequality is more palatable and easier to digest than confronting personal and institutional racism.

But, even if there were comparable examples of white children in a similar situation, it does not change what happened. Therefore, “the work” must continue.

What part can you play in order to continue “the work”?

Please Consider Signing the Petition

There is a petition, sponsored by the hard-working organization, Color of Change, to condem the treatment of the campers by the staff and membership at The Valley Club.

Please consider signing the petition, and please encourage your family and friends to do the same.

It must be kismet: I was looking for something positive on which to end the week, and to follow the two previous posts.

UPDATE: The Valley Club wants the campers to return. Funny what a potential lawsuit and a subpoena will do to make people do the right thing. I am hoping the camp and the parents of the campers will stand on principle and NOT return.