Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who has often spoken out against “racial injustice” in the United States, shrugged off questions from a local news outlet about his family’s membership in an all-white exclusive beach club in Rhode Island this weekend.
When asked by GoLocalProv whether white-only exclusive clubs such as Bailey’s Beach Club, which is part of the Spouting Rock Beach Association, should “continue to exist,” Whitehouse refused to offer a straight answer and merely stated that “it’s a long tradition” in the state.
“It’s a long tradition in Rhode Island and there are many of them, and we just need to work our way through the issues,” Whitehouse said.
According to the report, “both Whitehouse and his wife Sandra as well as their families have been members of the club for decades” where they are “now one of the largest shareholders in the all-white club.”
“I think the people who are running the place are still working on that, and I’m sorry it hasn’t happened yet,” Whitehouse said.
Even after the Democrat was confronted in 2017 over the club’s alleged dedication to keeping the club free of minority groups, he and his family continue to frequent the establishment on “most summer days” without a hitch.
“I think it would be nice if they [Bailey’s Beach Club] changed a little bit, but it’s not my position,” Whitehouse said in 2017 before offering a loose pledge to take up diversity concerns with the club in private.
Whitehouse is one of the many Democrat legislators who are often quick to jump on the race-driven agenda bandwagon. Not only has he pledged his support to Black Lives Matter via Twitter, but he also claimed he is working with his colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee to “bring lasting change” on “racial injustice.”
Today, we remember George Floyd. His tragic death one year ago sparked a global movement against racial injustice. We are working in Judiciary to bring lasting change. #BlackLivesMatter
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 25, 2021
Last summer, Whitehouse promised to bring attention to the “injustices that Black Americans still face every day” by celebrating Juneteenth, which the Democrats led by President Joe Biden have turned into a political football to forward their race agenda despite Americans’ hesitancy to make it a federal holiday. He also said the United States needs to “root out systemic racism in its many forms and meet America’s full promise of justice for all.”
Our country must fully engage the legacy of slavery and the injustices that Black Americans still face every day. I hope that all of us take time on #Juneteenth to reflect on our history and how we move forward.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 19, 2020
We hear the voices of the peaceful protestors who have marched.
We can and must do better to root out systemic racism in its many forms and meet America's full promise of justice for all. https://t.co/Z2OeBc7YyB
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 4, 2020