Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) defended his family’s longtime membership at a Rhode Island beach resort that has been described as “exclusive” and “all-white,” implying coverage of his belonging to the club was being misrepresented.
Whitehouse and his family are members of Bailey’s Beach Club -- formally known as the Sprouting Rock Beach Association -- in Newport, Rhode Island. It has attracted members of wealthy families such as the Vanderbilts and Astors since the 1890s.
A reporter from GoLocal Providence questioned Sen. Whitehouse on the lack of racial diversity among beach club members.
“I think the people who are running the place are still working on that,” answered Whitehouse. “I'm sorry it hasn't happened yet.”
A spokesman for Whitehouse told the Washington Post the club has no “restrictive policy” regarding race or ethnicity for membership, claiming the club has had members of color. Separately, Whitehouse told Politico Monday the club has “diversity of membership,” although he was unsure and claimed not to spend much time at the private resort.
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The New York Times quoted residents a decade ago who said, “People kill to belong to the beach.” GoLocalProv, which has previously described the venue as “exclusive and all-white,” recalled Whitehouse reportedly promising to terminate his membership at Bailey’s while on the campaign trail in 2006.
But in 2017, the local Providence news outlet discovered Whitehouse had only consolidated his membership with his wife’s. When pressed on whether he would push for more diversity, Whitehouse said he would “take that up privately.”
Whitehouse’s spokesman denies the senator ever made such a promise, adding that he “has dedicated his entire career to promoting equity and protecting civil rights.” GoLocal defends its reporting, saying the senator made the promise “a number of times.”
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In a 2018 campaign debate that aired on NBC Philadelphia, Whitehouse’s Republican challenger called him out for being a member of the beach destination, “which is not only exclusive but doesn’t admit Blacks or Jews.” Whitehouse said his opponent did not fairly characterize the club.
Black Lives Matter Rhode Island released a statement on the controversy late Monday, tweeting the Senator’s actions do not match his rhetoric. “Senator [Whitehouse] declining to push to diversify the all-white Bailey’s Beach Club shows where his priorities lay,” the organization tweeted. “After a year of protests calling for change, [he] is in a position to make it happen and has passed the buck.”
Bailey’s Beach Club denied multiple news outlets’ requests for comment on its membership policies.