Sen. Whitehouse Says U.S. Excluded Minorities From Climbing Economic Ladder in Statement
Thursday, June 24, 2021
Five days after GoLocal’s News Editor Kate Nagle interviewed U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) if the exclusive Bailey's Beach Club had any minority members and the Senator said, “I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I’m sorry it hasn't happened yet” -- he issued a statement about his family's membership in the club. SEE VIDEO HERE
READ THE SENATOR'S FULL STATEMENT
A representative of a local website recently caught me off guard by asking me about diversity at a beach club to which family members of mine belong. I was attending an unrelated event and wasn’t prepared for the question. At the time I made the mistake of accepting the premise. I then checked the assertion and was assured that, first, the assertion was wrong, there is diversity in the membership and there are non-white club members, and second, that improving diversity remains a priority and an active task of the club’s new board. Today, the club’s board put out a statement to this effect.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThere have been calls for me to resign from the club, which I understand. However, I have no membership to resign, nor will I ask my wife or any other family members to do so. First, they are on the right side of pushing for improvements. Second, and more importantly, my relationship with my family is not one in which I tell them what to do.
The recent attention to this issue has prompted me to assess all my affiliations and to consider my affiliations and to consider whether any inequitable of exclusionary policies. While I’m not a member of the beach club, I do own a boat and belong to a sailing club in Newport. While this club does not have exclusionary rules for membership, it does lack diversity. Failing to address the sailing club’s lack of diversity is squarely on me and something to which I am sorry. I commit to working with the club and the community to build a more inclusive membership and to better connect with the local community.
As a U.S. Senator, I have worked relentlessly toward bringing greater equality of opportunity and outcome to all Americans. This is indeed a monumental challenge given our nation’s long history of injustice and practices that have excluded minorities from housing, schools and opportunities to climb the economic ladder.
I pledge to continue doing all I can as Senator to overcome that history and work toward greater diversity and justice in all areas of society.
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