I Love Philly But Huntingdon Valley Racism...Not So Much

I'll let you in on a poorly kept secret. I love Philadelphia! Yep. You got it. Cheese steaks, soft pretzels, Mummers' parades, the Eagles, the Sixers, the Phillies, the Broad Street Bullies, butter scotch krimpet Tasty kakes...ok. ok You get it. But most of all, I love the Temple University Hospital Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine where I served my residency.

That experience taught me to love all things Philadelphia. Well...all but one. I don't love Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. And lo and behold, they are in the national news for the very reason that bred my contempt as a junior orthopedic resident in '93.

The Valley Swim Club apparently is now carrying the mantle for Huntingdon Valley, Pa. The swim club recently barred a group of Black children from using their facility. It didn't matter that the summer camp participants had pre-paid the fee and were well behaved. Members complained that the campers "changed the complexion" of the swim club.

Under intense public scrutiny, the president of the Valley Swim Club has re-stated their official position. He states that the children were barred because they taxed the capacity of the facility. Are you serious? It's a swimming pool. What he meant to say is that the children revealed the truth about a community.

Why do I care? I am one of those children.

In 1993 when I was in the early stages of my orthopedics residency and romance with Philadelphia, I looked forward to my program's Annual Alumni Weekend. It would be my official induction into the Temple Orthopedics Family. To say that I along with all of the other young residents was very excited was more than an understatement. It symbolized everything that we had worked so hard for.

Unfortunately, it was to be held at a private country club in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. An elder friend at the hospital told me that the only way I would be welcome at that country club was as a caddy or cutting the grass. I inquired and was told that the country club had no Black members but Charles Barkley had played there once as a special guest.

Many intelligent, well meaning people feel that since a Black man has been elected President racism no longer exists in America. President Obama is a powerful sign of progress not proof of the eradication of racial bigotry.

If the recent vicious act of hatred at the Holocaust museum, the constant filth spewed by shock jocks and TV pundits, the aspersions cast towards Supreme Court nominee Judge Sotomayor or the latest actions of the Valley Swim Club don't cause you to consider that the journey towards a 'more perfect Union' may not yet be complete, I don't know what will.

I love all things Philadelphia but Huntingdon Valley, Pa. not so much

Comments

[Adelbert Wilber]

Racism must be discussed, so that the ignorant become throughly familiar with the root causes of hatred, however people also need to be wary not to confuse racism with culturism.

Charges of racism are often used to silence all of those who would talk about the negative parts of cultural diversity. Worrying about racism only makes sense, but some concerns about actions and behaviors are not about race, they are about culture.

Racism is stupid and dangerous. But if diversity is real, culturism is necessary, as there are many negative aspects of some cultures (gang culture, thug culture) that are very appealing to the young and rebellious, but a blight on the face of the Earth to everyone else.

[EstCst70]

It's a little difficult for a community to evolve and embrace diversity at the same pace as other parts of the country when it is 93.3% comprised of one group - in this case, whites. Only 5.4% of the entire county's population is black.

Of course that doesn't mean they are all racist nor does it mean a large even portion of them are. But it does make for an environment in which racists would be subjected to very few events in which their true colors would be revealed. Unfortunately for the children of Creative Steps, this was one of those few events.

Let the community identify and speak up against those members of their community who now give them a bad name and let them know times have changed and so too should they.

[phillyPete]

Wait, so you didn't go to the event because your elder friend said you weren't allowed?

I'm sure neither you nor I could join that Country Club (I'm white) - but it sounds like you CHOSE not to go to an EVENT there. Not the same thing at all, but you now get to call all of Huntingdon Valley "Racist".

Well, I remember getting some rude looks and comments when I happened to look at homes in predominantly black neighborhoods - but I wouldn't say "Mount Airy is racist"

[calgary]

I think racism will always exist while discrimination is getting less and less because it's illegal. We will always have our bias for liking or disliking something or someone. We don't need to stop racism but we do need to stop discrimination.

[GreatFutureForAll]

Johnny, I think your article makes another point about Philadelphia that most residents know: There is no ONE, SINGLE Philadelphia.

There is the very ethnically integrated West Mount Airy (which feels more like a West Coast suburb than anything related to Pennsylvania), complete with "interracial" couples, biracial kids and even happily accepted gay couples. And then, there is everything else:

Cosmopolitan Center City (which acts like it is just as progressive as West Mount Airy when in truth it could not even hold a candle to that town when it comes to accepting diversity), South Philly (which has it's occasional hate crimes, "trying to rise from the ashes" West Philadelphia, struggling North Philly, the liberal bastion that is wealthy Chestnut Hill (Mount Airy's close next door neighbor), and blue collar Manayunk/Roxborough.

Lastly, there is "the Northeast," a distant part of Philadelphia that has little relationship to most of the area, but shares some of the intolerance of South Philly. And even though neighboring Huntingdon Valley is in the burbs, it adopted some of the habits of the Northeast because that's where those suburbanites came from.

What you may also notice is that "white" people from the Main Line often have little in common with the Northeast suburbs (based on my limited experience, sometimes refusing to even date).

Johnny, YOU may make friends with white folks from the Main Line faster than Huntingdon Valley residents will!

[SmokeFilledRoommate]

I used to work in Huntingdon Valley in the early '90's and this incident did not surprise me. Even though I am of humble working class divorce roots--I grew up in Levittown and Newtown-- was renting a room in Southampton's Bryn Gweled neighborhood at the time via a classified ad, the implied exclusivity for the area was never lost on me. Questions like, "How long have you lived in the area?" although routine, actually translate into "are you wealthy, stable, and have a history here like me; can we talk about our great-grandfathers together?" ..."Oh, so you're from Levittown.." I never tell them that my father (who is adopted) has worked for the Courier Times since the '60's. I just didn't grow up in the area... my bad.

I can only imagine if I was black and not of European ancestry that can be traced, a prevalent pastime for most of "The Area", I'm sure.

[OverTheTopGolf]

By the way, my comments were regarding the golf club only.

[Thad02]

Does everyone understand that the majority of members of the Valley Swim Club are from Philadelphia, probably 80% or so? The club is on the boarder, surrounded by factories, along the railroad tracks, and does not charge very much to be a member. This is not an upscale suburban club. I think many are confused by this.

[NLM]

Dr. Benjamin, thanks for your piece. I live in Philadelphia and have been disgusted by the Valley Swim Club incident. There's no question that racism is alive and well in this country, though I wonder if class also played a role here. I bet a bunch of white working-class kids would not have been warmly welcomed, either.

*P.S. -- not to be pedantic, but the phrase in your second-to-last sentence should read: "the aspersions [not dispersions] cast towards Supreme Court nominee..."