The American Red Cross apologized Monday for a pool safety poster it distributed that depicted black children doing “not cool” things and was criticized as racist.
The poster received attention after a version of it from Fort Morgan, Colorado circulated on Twitter. The organization apologized in a statement released to NBC News and said it was “absolutely not our intent to offend anyone.”
The poster showed a black child diving into the pool and another black child pushing a white child into the pool. Both actions were labeled “not cool.” Meanwhile, a white girl getting on the diving board was labeled “cool.”
“Going forward, we are developing more appropriate materials that are more representative of our workforce and the communities we serve,” the organization said in its statement to NBC News. “Our aquatic instructors have been notified of these concerns and we will advocate that our aquatic partner facilities remove the poster until revised materials are available.”
The Red Cross also has removed the poster from its website and Swim App, NBC reported.
Here’s a picture of the poster:
Hey, @RedCross, send a new pool poster to @SalidaRec bc the current one they have w your name on it is super racist pic.twitter.com/TY8MmFB3Qk
— John Sawyer (@JSawyer330) June 21, 2016
What about the ‘Not Cool’ white kid with the shades on the far side or the mixed pair of kids running around the pool?
Ugh. It looked like they took effort to make it a diverse poster, but didn’t keep the cool/ not cool ratio exactly where it needed to be.
I don’t mind them pulling the poster, but am hard pressed to be upset about it.
Rules? The talking/levitating whale is flouting the Law of freaking GRAVITY!!
What is not cool that the two black kids in the middle of pool are doing? One is using the diving board and one seems to be swimming with his mouth open. I am not getting the rules they are violating.
Oh good lord…