A Democratic Rhode Island senator, who bills himself as a progressive against structural racism, is under fire for defending his long-term membership at the state’s only all-white beach club. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and his family have reportedly been members of the private Bailey’s Beach Club in Newport, Rhode Island, for at least two decades, according to sources.
The lid got blown off this scandal when Whitehouse was recently confronted by a GoLocal Providence reporter about his membership and the club’s lack of diversity. “I think the people who are running the place are still working on that and I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet,” Whithouse told the reporter.
According to the New York Post, when Whitehouse was asked if such clubs should continue to exist during a time when the country is having a “racial reckoning,” the Senator responded, “It’s a long tradition in Rhode Island, and there are many of them.”“And I think we just need to work our way through the issues,” Whitehouse added before the interview ended.
Whithouse’s statement was regarded as flippant, given the current state of race relations in the United States. While Whitehouse seemed to disregard the club’s predicament, his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, is one of the club’s three greatest stockholders. Whitehouse, who was first elected in 2006, disavowed his membership and promised to leave the group when he sought for government, according to GoLocal.
Despite his egregious remarks, Whitehouse’s staff stated on Monday that the club is not discriminatory and does not have any minority members. It was not immediately known how many minorities the club currently has, if any. Whew, Whitehouse better figure out what he’s going to do, since his supporters don’t seem too pleased.
