Comments on: The Color of Water: Troubling

By: mary kreis

mary kreis — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:11:09 +0000

Oh Little Boy , You Were Strong. July , 2009. That morning, I was drinking coffee with My Mother , watching the news, When the Report came on. A Little Boy , Who Paid , with His Money with Other Little Children, Who Were All Excited & Happy About Going Swimming in the Hot Summer & Playing & Having Fun , But , instead – Big , Heavy , Deep , Tears Fell From The Beautiful Little Black , African American’s Boy’s Face , Tears that Should Not have falling ! Tears , that were so heavy , no Child , should have ! it felt like a knife cut inside me. I listened to The Beautiful Child , tell what Happened , in a Mature Brave Voice , My insides are ripped now & I am Angry . But , The Little Boy Had No Anger , He jus , said , I thought all of this was over with , in this day of age .

By: Ana Cruz

Ana Cruz — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:58:24 +0000

Born and raised in Philadelphia of Hispanic decent, racism left such a horrific memory that I swore I’d leave Philadelphia forever when I grow up. As an adult I not only left Philly, I left the U.S. altogether and became an expatriate. For the first time in my life I no longer experienced the indignity of racism. I was finally respected for my talents intellect and humanity, not my color. My sister looked Anglo. As kids we went to Hallahan swim club in Philadelphia with our three Irish elementary school classmates, I was turned away because I didn’t have a “membership.” But neither did my sister, nor my Irish classmates. When I brought this to the club’s attention, I was ignored and the gate to the pool entrance was shut in my face. I cried my 9 year old eyes out as I watched the swimmers through the fence in the scorching summer sun. I will never forget that one of many racist incidents in Philadelphia. This Valley Swim Club incident brought it all back to me 55 years later along with the sad fact that some things in Philadelphia have never changed.

By: Guy Loving

Guy Loving — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 01:01:52 +0000

I am starting a campaign to close this swim club down! We have to make an example of these people so that the world will know that we will not tolerate racism! We must show the little boy that cried that we will protect him and all children at all cost.

By: Jim Jones

Jim Jones — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:20:56 +0000

This article is Biased and ill informed. Get all the facts before you jump to conclusions and drop the race card. this story originated from one of the upset parents (understatement) of the children asked to leave. There were white children with the group asked to leave and the pool is small. It doesn’t even normally hold 65 people. But this daycare KNOWINGLY brought a huge group to the pool. Each daycare invited to the pool received the guidelines of the pool and in the booklet it asks to call ahead for large groups. They didn’t.