A pool party at Scripps College that was initially advertised as only open to people of color has been desegregated and postponed after the event prompted national criticism and threats to the school.
After plans for the pool party made national headlines on April 13, including through an article published by The College Fix that went viral, student organizers switched the invite to state the festivities would open to all people, regardless of skin color.
Then later in the day, citing unspecified threats to the school, the party was postponed by campus leaders, the Claremont Independent reports.
“The pool party has been postponed due to concerns about student safety in the wake of numerous phone calls and emails from the public expressing hostility and threatening physical violence,” the email notice from campus officials had stated.
The Independent reported that after its article reached a national audience, “the organizers changed their events description to be more inclusive, and allow all students, including those who identify as white, to attend the pool party.”
“Unlike the old event description, the new description, which does not bar white students from attending, avoids violating national civil rights legislation such as Title VI, and Scripps’s own anti-discrimination policy. Title VI prevents education institutions receiving federal funds—which includes nearly all private colleges including Scripps—from ‘discriminating when it comes to race, color, and national origin.’ Recreational facilities at education institutions such as Sallie Tiernan House Pool must also abide by this law,” it reported.
“The organizers of the pool party have yet to respond to the Independent’s inquiries about why they felt POC should have a pool party to themselves, if people should understand why POC would feel uncomfortable in a ‘white-dominated’ space, and if non-POC ‘allies’ were allowed to attend,” it added.
The Claremont Independent also added it “does not condone violence acts or threats of violence in response to our articles. Please respect our request.”
MORE: Black students demand segregated spaces from white students
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