Blonde mother of two was asked to leave a playground, because she’s white

As the mother of two (so far!), I can totally relate to this ridiculous story, and a mom named Tara Coverdale who was asked to leave a park in Sydney, Australia because she was white.  Truth Revolt has the story:

Coverdale took her two small children — an 8 month old and a 4 year old — to an inner city park in Sydney, Australia to play recently, only to be told she’s not welcomed there.

“I’m sorry you can’t come here,” a worker from Alexandria Park Community Centre told her.  “It’s a multicultural playgroup. Can I ask what your cultural background is?”

Well, Coverdale is white, Australian, has blonde hair, and freckles.  This didn’t help her cause with the “multicultural police.”

“I’m sorry, you can’t come here,” she was told again.  “It’s for multicultural families and people who speak languages other than English at home.”

Like all harried mothers who finally found a way to entertain her children to pass the day away, she wasn’t about to yank her son out of his joyful playing with a friend just because she and her children were white.  Note that he was playing with a friend — who was presumably not being harassed by park staffers.  I assume that means that her white son was playing with a “child of color who speaks another language.”  Isn’t that the point of all their rabid multiculturalism?  Of course it’s not.  They are all about a certain political ideology, not about truly being a gathering place of different types of individuals.  “Why should I leave?” the defiant mom asked.

Once again, she was asked the same question — “Can I just ask what your cultural background is?” — this time by Jo Fletcher, the centre’s facilitator.  Once again, she got the same robotic response.  “I’m sorry you can’t come here,” she said.  “It’s a multicultural playgroup.”

Can you believe that?  Eventually, she left and complained.  She said that she pays a lot of taxes and she was not about to be excluded in that way.  Good for her!  The park’s director — Ms. Fletcher — also was forced to be more welcoming to white people.  I’m very glad that the park’s racist policies are going to change.  But can you imagine if a white park director wouldn’t allow a black family to come on the playground?  I doubt if the roles were reversed, there’d just be a slap on the wrist.

Photo credit: Pixabay