US club bars African-Americans

Students from Washington University have complained to state and federal agencies that a Chicago nightclub barred six African-American members from their senior class trip celebration while admitting nearly 200 white classmates.

The celebration at club, 'Original Mother's' was to have been the culminating event of a two-day senior class trip to Chicago reports CNN.

The party had been arranged with the bar in advance by the student class board, which includes two of the African-American students who were later denied entry, said Washington University senior President Fernando Cutz.

Cutz, who is white, said he was already inside the bar with some 200 other students, none of whom are African-American, when the first group of African-American classmates arrived.

But instead of being allowed to enter the bar, the manager of 'Original Mother's' denied entry to the six students, saying their baggy pants violated the bar's dress code.

"These six [students] were better dressed than I was," Cutz told CNN.

After confronting the manager, Cutz advised the students to "go back to the hotel and change."

But the manager of the bar stepped in to say that he had made his decision and that the six men could not return to the bar even if they changed clothes, Cutz said.

The students became "more agitated" and "set up an experiment," Cutz said.

Class treasurer Regis Murayi, an African-American, exchanged jeans with Jordan Roberts, who is white and, being 3 inches shorter than Murayi looked "substantially baggy" with his jeans on.

Roberts then approached the same manager who had turned away the African-American students, paid the entry fee and was allowed in, Cutz said.

A representative of the bar told the Chicago Tribune on Thursday that security concerns, not racism, guided the decision.

But the next day, a bar representative told the paper the club was conducting an internal investigation and that disciplinary action would be taken if necessary.

Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton sent a letter to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to express his "most intense disappointment" about the incident.

Students of Washington University have also contacted the Anti-Defamation League and the Chicago Urban League.

The two organizations jointly sent a letter to the bar, writing that they "strongly suggest that Mother's re-examine its dress code, conduct immediate retraining of all employees to avoid any future racial discrimination or appearance thereof, and issue a formal letter of apology to the six students who were denied entry."

- NZ HERALD STAFF